Dinner Turned Engagement
by musingsofnobody
Summary: It was just supposed to be a stressful dinner with his parents. Next thing he knows, he proposed. It was just supposed to be a simple night with her parents, next thing she knows, she's engaged.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the characters, so yeah. Don't sue me!

**A/N:** I got kinda lost about that CS fic I was doing, and this came popping out of nowhere. Anyway, give it a read and tell me what you think.

**Summary:** It was just supposed to be a stressful dinner with his parents. Next thing he knows, he proposed. It was just supposed to be a simple night with her parents, next thing she knows, she's engaged.

**Title:** Dinner Turned Engagement

**Chapter 1:** The Conniving Parents And The Clueless Kids

Everybody knows Lucas Scott.

For the most part, that is a fact. So, maybe not everybody knows Lucas Scott. But a lot of people have heard of the name Lucas Scott. There's Lucas Scott the girl magnet, Lucas Scott the basketball star, and on very rare occasions, when someone first hears about him, they'd call him as Lucas Scott, Nathan Scott's older brother.

With so many titles, it is safe to say that Lucas Scott is a successful man. He belongs to a respectable family, as people would put it. His father is the Mayor and his mother is a successful businesswoman. What they didn't know was that belonging to such family also had its disadvantages.

"You're going to do what I want!" A deep voice instructed, though it sounded more threatening rather than instructing.

"This is my life! I'm not letting you control it!" A voice booming with anger and frustration replied. What came next is the sound of probably a phone being slammed in its place.

Everybody knows Brooke Davis.

Well, at least people who wear clothes do. So that pretty much means everyone. Brooke Davis is a woman of many talents, and that is probably the reason why she is the CEO of her own company. Coming from a renowned family who had connections everywhere did help, but not in a way that it proved she has talent.

She is an only child, and anything would be given to her if she wanted it. Her parents always told her they just want what's best for her, the only problem is, most of the time she doesn't want what they think is best.

"The hiding I understand, what I can't believe is that you didn't tell me!" A seemingly frustrated and disappointed voice said, before the other could even speak a word.

"I'm sorry? What? Wait, hold that thought. I have another call coming." The other replied in confusion, then taking the next call that morning.

"You whore! I can't believe you didn't tell me!" A voice so excited nearly deafened her. You could probably tell the person is jumping in joy as she spoke.

"Tell you what?!" The other replied, only, hers was surprised and confused. Her eyes probably grew big with what she just heard.

**24 hours earlier.**

The day couldn't be more perfect. The sky is clear and the weather channel said it wouldn't be raining anytime soon. It's the perfect day to meet your parents for dinner right? Well, that might be the case for most people, but for one Lucas Scott, it isn't.

"Man! Give me the ball!" A guy shouted bringing him out of his trance, the next thing he hears is the voice of their coach yelling at him.

Clearly, he hasn't been paying attention. Practice was finished and still he didn't know where his thoughts are. They're practically all over the place. Funny how much dinner with Dan Scott can do to him.

"Lucas! Luke! Wait up!" A familiar voice called out. He stopped at his tracks and turned to his team mate, and also his brother.

"Hey Nate, what's up?" Lucas asks Nathan, simply because he didn't know what else to say.

"Dan Scott can really do some damage huh?" He replied, and Lucas just rolled his eyes and continued walking.

"I don't even know what he wants this time! It's like, next thing I know I'm supposed to be having dinner with him and mom!" Lucas ranted. Nathan gave him a look of sympathy for a moment, then breaking into a devious smile.

"You know what! That just make makes me jealous! I didn't even get a call from them!" He tells him as if he's really hurt, then chuckling, knowing he got the better end of the stick.

"Yeah right." Lucas tells him bitterly and walks away towards his car.

"Tell me about it tomorrow!" Nathan told him as he bid him goodbye, knowing full well that their family dinners don't usually turn out pleasantly, nonetheless, over the years they have come to a point where they can just laugh about it as soon as it's done and over with.

* * *

"Oh my God! What happened here?" A female voice asks, as she wandered inside the undeniably huge suite, wondering where the person she wants to see is.

"I'm in the bathroom." Another shouted in reply, so as to keep the other from worrying.

"Brooke, your place is a mess! What happened?" The first one asks as she saw the other step out of the bathroom, in only a robe.

"I'm having dinner with my parents, Goldilocks." She answers, with a not so excited look in her face. Seeing the Davis' doesn't exactly give you that feeling when you are Brooke Davis.

"Really? Why?" The blonde asks in a urprised tone, denoting that Brooke having dinner with her parents is a rare occasion.

"I don't know, they said they were in town and next thing I know, my manipulative mother has got me having dinner with them!" Brooke answers in frustration. She really didn't know how she agreed to have dinner with them, although, she should be well aware, talking to Victoria Davis gets you doing things you don't want to do.

"Well, at least it'll be good for publicity. 'Brooke Davis having dinner with her parents.' Sounds pretty good right?" The blonde replies in an attempt to make something good out of it.

"Well, if you put it that way, I guess." Brooke replies as her shoulders fall. She needed to start getting ready, because preparing for dinner with Victoria Davis is never easy. Besides, she's not going to let her mother insult her in a restaurant full of people, she has to look her best, no scratch that. She _needs_ to look her best.

* * *

The place is packed. Then again, Daniel's is always packed. It's kind of ridiculous when you think about it. The place is great, yeah, you can give them that, and the service too, but the food, it doesn't taste like you're getting your money's worth. That's just for Lucas Scott of course. Dan Scott's opinion is another story.

Lucas Scott let the valet take his keys a couple of minutes ago, but still he refuses to go in to the establishment. So for a moment, he asks himself if he's really about to have dinner with his parents, because that pretty much, in his vocabulary meant a stressful night.

As impulse takes over, and before he could change his mind and ditch his parents, he tells the guy at the reception desk their reservation. Only wearing a blue polo shirt, and deciding last minute to put a black coat on, he knows all too well he'll get into the nerves of Dan Scott. After all, he did tell him to wear a tux.

As he walks in with the waiter, he sees his mom waiting alone at their table. Dan Scott is nowhere to be seen, and that at least made him happy for a bit.

"Hey mom." Lucas greets her with a kiss on the cheek, then taking the seat across her. "Where's Dad?" He couldn't help but ask, and then glancing towards the direction his mother looked to. There he was, standing on one side of the restaurant, talking on his cell phone.

"Business call?" He asks her again and she just nods. Deborah Scott isn't really much for talking, unless it's business of course. He surveyed their table and noticed there were six chairs, then turned to Dan whose eyes were now as if burning with anger.

"Why aren't you in a tux? I told you to wear a tux!" Those were his first words. He didn't even bother to say 'Hi son, glad you even came' first before he blew up on him. But Lucas knew better, and seeing Dan irritated just made him feel good about himself.

"Are you expecting other people?" Lucas asks him, as he ignored Dan's hateful voice, which Dan managed to turn down. After all, Dan Scott didn't want scandals; they don't exactly look fit for a Mayor.

"Yes, they'll be in any minute." Dan answers business like, as he took the seat facing both Deb and Lucas. Not long after he said that, Lucas sees his father break into a grin, and that's when he knew, he's up to something.

"Richard. I'm glad you came." Dan greeted as he rose from his seat. Lucas followed his gaze and saw a party of three. One was named Richard; obviously, he already called him by his name. Another is a woman who looked like she's in her early forties; he assumed she might be Richard's wife.

Then there's the third person. She's wearing a black cocktail dress that hugged her body on the right places, showing her perfect curves. Suddenly he felt so under dressed with her around. Then he shifts to look at her realizing who she is.

"This is my wife Deb, and my son Lucas." Dan introduced, and Lucas being the good guy that he is, stood up and shook hands with him, he even pulled out the chair for her, which was returned with a thankful dimpled smile.

Brooke Davis couldn't believe she actually agreed to this. Well, at least she's not the only one who looked surprised with what happened. Lucas Scott looked pretty shocked to see her there as well. Like when their eyes met, her shock mirrored his.

Dinner went well, at least for her parents it did. She's never heard her dad, or her mom praise her so much, for that matter. Like they were building up her image of something. Her being a cheer captain in high school even came up; suddenly they're so proud of it, when all those years ago, they wanted to lock her up just so she couldn't attend practice.

"Well, I'm really glad you came." Dan Scott spoke again, as he wiped the corner of his lips with the table napkin.

"I'm glad we did Dan." Victoria Davis replied coyly. Brooke wanted to shoot herself as she watched her mom flutter her eyelashes at the man.

"Now it's only tradition that when we first meet someone, we give them a gift." He continues and Lucas' eyebrows furrowed at that statement. Since when was that tradition? He thought to himself, and continued to watch Dan as he got something out of his pocket.

"This is for you Brooke." Dan stretched his arm towards her and Lucas could only tell that Brooke Davis is not the least happy about it. If anything, she's uneasy with all of it, just like he is. Lucas thoughtfully got the box from Dan then handed it to Brooke.

In it is a platinum ring, covered with diamonds all over, and to top it all off, it exuded an elegant and sophisticated look. Something that a woman would definitely want to receive if she's being proposed to.

"I can't…I'm sorry, but I can't accept this Mr. Scott." Brooke gave Dan a thankful smile as she closed the box, not noticing the death glares her mother has been giving her.

"Don't you like it?" The manipulative voice of Dan Scott is on, that's something Lucas immediately noticed. It slightly angered him that he can't do anything about it.

"No, no. It's beautiful, but this is very expensive and-" Brooke really didn't want to accept it. There was just something off about it. Plus, where do you hear about families giving out diamond rings to people they meet, but before she could decline, Dan Scott cut her off.

"Please Brooke. I insist. _We_ inisist. How about you try it on first and if it doesn't fit perfectly, then I'll take it back. _We_ would definitely be offended if you return it." Dan's voice is soft, enough for someone to actually agree with his plans. Lucas couldn't do anything but give Brooke an apologetic smile.

Brooke thought about it for a while then agreed to it. What are the chances that this ring is going to fit her, right? It's not like it was specially made for her or anything. "Go put it on her Lucas." Dan instructed, and the blonde Scott just followed, he didn't really want any arguments later.

To Brooke's horror, it fit. Actually, it didn't just fit. It was like; the ring was made to fit her ring finger. "It looks perfect on you honey." Deb spoke up when she saw the ring placed perfectly on Brooke's finger. Brooke next hears her mother gushing, and Victoria Davis never gushed.

"Are you really sure you want me to have this?" Brooke asked again, hoping that Dan will actually tell her he's playing a joke on her and he wants the ring back, but to her disappointment, he just gives her a smile and nods. It doesn't look proper either to just take it off when the people who gave it to you are still there, so she decided to keep it on. No big deal right?

The only thing Lucas Scott could offer is conversation. Thankfully, both he and Brooke survived the night. He literally and honest to God, couldn't wait to go home already, and so is she. He can tell.

"Hey dad, actually, I really want to stay, but I think I'm going to have to call it a night." Lucas suddenly spoke up, the first chance he got. Surprisingly, Dan Scott didn't bother talking him out of it. Odd, Lucas thought.

"Actually, me too. Uh, I still have stuff to do. So I think, I'm going to go." Brooke followed up next, before Lucas Scott could even leave his seat. She's not about to let him leave her there with the sharks.

"Oh honey, but you came in here with us. How are you going to get back?" Richard Davis asked caringly. Brooke Davis smiled at the thought. After all, her dad always has been the caring one. It just got too much at times.

"Don't worry dad, I'll just take a cab." Brooke replies immediately. Frankly, as much as the caring father image made her smile, all she wanted was to go back to her place and have a good night sleep.

"It's dangerous for a lady like you to be going home alone. I'm sure Lucas would be delighted to drop you off. Right son?" Dan Scott offered, then looking over at Lucas knowingly. He knew his son is a gentleman, and he knew he'd say yes.

"Yeah. Sure. No problem." Lucas replied, just eager to leave the place. He kissed his mom goodbye, just as Brooke did with her dad. It intrigued him that she didn't do the same for her mom. They probably have issues, he thought.

"Take care of my girl Lucas." Richard Davis told him, wherein he replied an enthusiastic "I will." Four people were left, having pretty contented smiles on their faces.

"Well, that went pretty well." Dan Scott remarked, eyeing the other three. "It sure did." Richard Davis replied, drinking what's left of his champagne.

* * *

"Look, you really don't have to drop me off. I'm just going to take a cab." Brooke spoke up as she and Lucas waited for his car.

"No, really, it's no big deal. Plus, your dad told me to take care of you." He tells him sweetly, and that's when Brooke realizes what she hears about Lucas Scott's charm.

"Well, he did say that. I mean, are you sure?" She asks him again as he rolled his eyes at her, then opening the door to his car and instructing her to get in.

The drive is quiet at first, but Brooke being the bubbly person that she is started talking. "Thank you." She told him again.

"Really, it's no big deal. It's on my way home anyways." He told her again, then realizing she meant something else.

"No, I meant, for the 'out' awhile ago." Brooke explained and Lucas just nodded his head. "Although I couldn't believe you would actually leave me with them!" She joked and they enjoyed a good laugh together.

"Hey, for what it's worth, having you there definitely made dinner bearable." Lucas Scott worked his charms, and for some god forsaken reason, he didn't know why. Although if he had met Brooke Davis in some other way, he would've probably flirted his way towards her.

"So, is this Lucas Scott's famous charm?" She teased, and for a while he watched him squirm, although she didn't really think a guy like him would squirm.

"Sorry, just a habit, I guess." He apologizes, and finds himself running his hand through his hair, earning a little chuckle from Brooke.

"I was kidding, besides, I wouldn't know what I would've done if you weren't there either." She admits and he just nods in agreement. After some laughs and after realizing they'd been to common parties before, they arrive at the Marriot.

"Well, this is me." Brooke huffed as she looked at him with a smile on her face then to the lobby of the hotel. "So, I really think I should give this back." She told him as she tried to take off the ring Dan Scott gave her earlier. "It's stuck." She tells him worriedly.

"I thought it fit just fine earlier?" Lucas asked and Brooke just gave him a confused look. "It did!" She replied, getting agitated with the situation.

"You really don't have to give it back. Besides, my dad gave that to you. If you really didn't want it, you should've given it back to him earlier." Lucas told her, not meaning to offend her in any way, but unluckily, he did.

"Look, I don't want this ring ok! Plus, I've never heard of a family who give diamond rings as giveaways! And it's not like he gave me a choice to actually say no!" Brooke said frustratingly, still trying to take the ring off.

"Calm down, okay? I'm sorry. I know, my dad didn't really give you a choice. Honestly, it's also the first time I've seen him give someone a ring. What I mean is, my dad isn't usually that nice, so maybe he really does want you to have that. I mean, him and your dad seemed pretty close." He explained and there was something in his voice that calmed Brooke.

"Okay, maybe I'll just have to return it some other time." She replied as she gave up on taking it off. "Good thing it really looks good on me." She noticed, then seeing Lucas nod in agreement.

"Well, I should be going. Thank you so much…" She told him the sixth time that night. Yeah, Lucas Scott actually counted. "Lucas." He spoke, confusing Brooke.

"Excuse me?" She told him, trying to figure out what he meant. "If you ever see me on the street or something, you should call me Lucas, or Luke. Whatever you feel like saying." He tells her casually and she smiles at him, that same dimpled smile she gave him when he pulled out a chair for her.

"Well you can call me Brooke." She says in reply, and with that she steps out of the car with a big smile on her face. She walked towards the lobby confidently, then turning her back to face him when he called her by her name. Her eyebrows furrowed, and a smile came with it. No doubt a lot of girls wanted to date Lucas Scott, she told herself.

"You're welcome!" She heard him shout. She shook her head at his ways, giving him a big smile. Just then, she watched him drive away. Yes, dinner was bad, but her night did turn out great in the end. She traced the ring on her finger, and went into the hotel.

* * *

Brooke woke up due to the non stop ringing of her phone. What could it possibly be that people can't wait to talk about? She looked at her clock; it read 6:27 am, then to her phone which had 21 missed calls. Four from Peyton, Five from Rachel, two from Millicent and the other are just unknown numbers.

It then occurred to her that something might've gone wrong. She thought of all the worst case scenarios, hell she even thought about Clothes over Bros. closing. Just then her phone started going off again. Peyton it read. She hits the answer button and before she could speak, she heard the blonde talking.

"The hiding I understand, what I can't believe is that you didn't tell me!" Her voice is frustrated, and disappointed, and also, it is possible that she's a little angry too. Brooke didn't know what she's talking about. Of course, if she did, then she would've probably had a comeback for what Peyton told her.

"I'm sorry? What? Wait, hold that thought. I have another call coming." She replied in confusion then saw it's Rachel at the other end of the line.

"You whore! I can't believe you didn't tell me!" Rachel's voice sounded so excited, it nearly deafened Brooke. She could see Rachel jumping with joy in her head.

"Tell you what?!" Brooke replied getting more worried. Why is it like everybody else knows already and she's the only one who doesn't? Her clock now read 6:30 am. "Tell you what Rachel?" She asked her red head friend again, just then, she heard someone ring her doorbell.

"You know what, I'm going to have to call you back." She tells her then hangs up. As she went to get the door she had a feeling that he'll have a very long day ahead of her. Then she saw its Michel, the receptionist.

"Michel, hi. What can I do for you so early in the morning?" She asked and tried to sound cool about it, but then Michel's face told her something else.

"I'm sorry Ms. Davis but there are a lot of reporters going mad and waiting for you, and I just need something to tell them." He told Brooke, and again, she was just beyond confused. Why does everyone know and she doesn't?

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about." Brooke tells him and Michel just points to her finger, with an embellishment on it.

"Your engagement? To Lucas Scott? Ring a bell?" He tells her and Brooke's face goes blank. "It's all over the news dear." Michel added and suggested for Brooke to open her TV, which she did. She tried to take off the ring again, but still it's stuck. That's when she knew why Victoria Davis gushed last night.

* * *

Lucas Scott was just about to take his usual run in his East Hampton estate. That was until a bunch of reporters and paparazzi ambushed him, asking if 'it' is true. Honestly, he didn't know what to tell them. Then there's the very confusing question of "When are you getting married?" which really told him something is definitely up.

He retreated to his house and looked for his phone. By the time he found it, it already had 47 missed calls in it. Some were from Nathan, then there's Haley. Others were his team mates and others were from his friends on the press, and others were just unknown numbers.

He immediately dials his brother's number hoping to find answers on what the whole getting married fuss is all about.

"Luke! Is it true?" Nathan asked not even giving his blonde brother to ask what it is about.

"What is this I hear about getting married? And why are there a bunch of reporters outside my house?" He says agitatedly. He wanted answers, and he wanted them fast.

"Are you seriously asking me that? You propose and you seriously think reporters aren't going to want to ask you questions?" Nathan says with a sarcastic laugh, which really irritated Lucas.

"I proposed? To who? Where? When?" He asked his brother, because in his calendar, there isn't any wedding happening soon, nor was there any proposal date that happened.

"Last night man! You proposed, to Brooke Davis! Apparently, she said yes and now you're engaged!" Nathan explains and Lucas is just beyond lost with what he heard. Suddenly, he realizes this is all Dan's doing.

"I'm going to have to call you back. I have someone I need to talk to." Lucas hangs up, and just then he hears his landline ring. He came to get it, and on the other line, he hears the voice of the one person who's responsible for all of this.

"Good morning son." Dan Scott greeted. Lucas could see that evil smirk plastered on his face. He should've known. His father had tried to pull something like this before.

"You did all of these! Now, you're going to fix it!" He demanded, not minding to hold back all the anger he's feeling.

"You're going to do what I want!" Dan Scott threatened. He wasn't about to back down now. Everything was in perfect play. Lucas Scott and Brooke Davis' engagement meant business to him, and he's sure as hell not about to let that get away.

"This is my life! I'm not letting you control it!" Lucas' voice boomed with anger, and if there was anything he felt towards Dan right now, it was hate. He slammed the phone in its place and rushed to get his jacket. He needs to talk to Brooke.

* * *

Okay, so that was it! Reviews are very much appreciated. :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own the characters. Lol.

**A/N: **Sorry for making It look like I updated, anyways I have a question to ask you guys. Which do you think is better, Brucas staying together or them exposing their parents?

**Title: **Dinner Turned Engagement

**Chapter 2: **How Do We Fix This?

Lucas Scott ran towards his car with a smile plastered on his face, while he fumed with anger inside. He once wondered how it felt to be ran after by the press, and right now, he wished he didn't have to experience it. Lucas drove to the Marriott, and one thing he could definitely notice was that he was like being escorted to the place, only, those in motorcycles weren't bodyguards, they're the people out to kill him.

He arrives at the place not even surprised to see it swarming with the same people that ambushed him earlier. If anything, it only brought about an irritated laugh from him. He left his car in front on the lobby while he battled it out with the reporters and paparazzi to get in. When he managed to get past security, he immediately approached a man of what he assumed to be one of the establishment's employees. "Excuse me, but I need to see Brooke Davis" he tells the man, trying his best to keep his cool. The man nods at him and in no time, he is led to Brooke Davis' suite.

Brooke Davis couldn't believe this whole fiasco is happening. In fact, she thinks everything is just some bad dream and she demands to wake up from it, now. "This isn't happening, this isn't happening." She mutters to herself as she rubbed her temples, Michel giving her a look of confusion.

"The reporters are really making a scene outside Ms. Davis." Michel's voice is suddenly formal, something Brooke didn't want right now, because if you ask her, what she needs right now is someone who will assure her this is just one big horrible mistake, and that everything will be just fine.

"And you think I don't know that?! How did this happen!? How!" She blew up at him, and paced around again. Something like that could've lessened the stress right? But it didn't.

"I'm sorry Ms. Davis, but as much as I want to be your friend right now, the security of this place is my responsibility first." Michel explains and Brooke just nods at him, offering him an apologetic look.

"I know, I'm sorry. I just, I need to think first okay? But you can tell them I don't have anything to say right now." Brooke tells him, trying her best to calm herself. Michel just nods at her and prepared to leave. Just then, they both hear a pound on the door. Yes, a pound, not a knock.

Lucas Scott isn't about to hold back his anger anymore. No one sees him, so there's really no reason to. He pounded on the door again. "Open up, dammit!" He cursed to himself as he heard Brooke shouting a 'wait a sec.' towards him. She's still so calm about this? He thought to himself.

When the door swung open, he sees a black bald guy who looks like he's in-charged with the hotel. "Can I talk to Brooke?" He asks him and he answers just by looking at the brunette. "Michel, I can handle this. Thank you." Brooke tells Michel, and with that she lets Lucas in while Michel went out to face the mad reporters he left an hour ago.

As soon as Michel was gone, Lucas Scott didn't bother being gentle and calm about everything anymore. Instead, he blew up his anger on Brooke. "I can't believe you agreed to this! To think I thought you were actually surprised about dinner! So tell me, what's in it for you? Huh?" He tells her harshly, everything obviously coming out of anger. Brooke Davis couldn't believe what she's hearing. Is Lucas Scott actually blaming her for this horrible, _horrible _thing? She paced around for a bit a tried to calm herself not wanting to stoop down to his level. Obviously, he didn't know about this either, just then he started shouting again.

"Now, you're gonna go down there and tell everyone, that this, everything, is a set up!" Lucas Scott raged in anger. If there was one thing he really enjoyed, it was being single and not needing to answer to anyone, and he's not just about to sit and relax, and just watch it be taken away from him. Brooke Davis tried to keep her cool about it, something she's picked up with dealing with difficult client for the past years, to her surprise Lucas Scott grabbed her by the arm, something she definitely didn't expect.

"And look, you're still wearing that _goddamn_ ring! I'm sure it's not even stuck!" He shouted in her face as he forced to take it off her finger. Brooke winced in pain. She had been trying to take it off the moment she realized what's happening.

"You're hurting me!" She told him and forced herself out of his grasp, not able to keep her calm anymore. "You think _I_ did this? You think _I_ have any idea about this? Well guess what _asshole_! I am just _fucking_ clueless with this just like you are!" She shouted at him hatefully.

Lucas Scott felt terrified by his own actions. He's _never_, not once in his entire life grabbed a woman by the arm and hurt her in the process. He was shocked, and ashamed of his actions, suddenly, everything was quiet, that was until his phone started ringing again. Brooke looked at him, surprised what kind of person he really is. If you asked her last night, there's no way she would've thought Lucas Scott could act like a complete jerk. Then again, that might be the effect of a fabricated engagement.

"Luke?! Where are you? I go to your house and you're not here!" Nathan scolded, not even bothering to let his brother say hello.

"I'm at the Marriott. I need you to come here. Bring every damned newspaper or whatever tabloid that published about this fiasco." His voice was suddenly full of anger again, before Nathan could reply, Lucas already hang up. Brooke is still silent, and Lucas couldn't help but feel guilty about it. It was his fault anyways. So, he took the initiative and started speaking to her.

"Look, I'm sorry for behaving like I did, but my brother's coming here right now, and we're going to fix this. Okay?" His voice was now gentle, but Brooke could tell he's upset. Hell, she is.

"You don't know how much I needed to hear that." She admits and takes a seat on her couch. She closed her eyes and wished everything just goes away. To her disappointment, things were still the same when she opened them.

"I just…how did this happen? I mean, we were just eating dinner!" Lucas tells her knowingly. There was tiredness in his voice, something Brooke had been starting to feel.

"We're like in a freaking hostage situation." Lucas spoke again as he glanced outside her window. Brooke went to him to go see how bad it is. "Only there aren't any rescues coming." Brooke continued when she saw how the whole street is covered with reporters.

"Everyone down there is out to get us! How are we going to fix this?" Lucas asked in an exasperated tone. Honestly, he had no idea. He sees Brooke dial a number and he is just confused.

"Brooke! Are you ready to tell me the details now?" Rachel answers excitedly, as if she's been waiting for the brunette's call.

"Listen Rach, I need you here at my place, _now_. Bring Peyton with you, I can't reach her number." Brooke instructed and hang up. She didn't really want to explain everything to Rachel by the phone. Suddenly, both Brooke and Lucas hear something from the TV that just made them more terrified than they already were. Somehow they felt that things are bound to get more complicated.

"The Scott's and The Davis' are here to talk about their kids engagement." Ryan Seacrest from E! said. Brooke and Luke just had shocked expressions on their faces and turned to listen to what their conniving parents had to say.

"So, Mr. Scott, have you known about your son and Brooke Davis seeing each other, because those pictures, I mean, the news of their engagement just took the whole entertainment industry by surprise." Ryan asked enthusiastically, as if the news brought him joy, or whatever.

"The answer to that would be yes Ryan. Actually, Brooke and Lucas had been seeing each other for a long time now. How long has it been Richard?" Dan asked and turned to his friend. Brooke's eyes grew wider with what she's seeing. Is everything actually happening?

"I think they've been together for a year and a half now." Richard Davis answered and Brooke's eyes almost popped out. "A year and a half?! You have got to be kidding me!" Brooke shouted from her seat as if her father could hear her.

"That's what we know okay, but I think they've been together longer than that for them to decide to be engaged already." Victoria Davis added jokingly, Deb laughing with her.

"Did you expect them to be engaged soon? And a year and a half? Wow, they sure have been good at keeping it." Ryan asked again and marveled at the span of time the 'couple' kept their relationship.

"Actually, yeah. My son even asked me a couple of months ago what would be the perfect ring to give Brooke." Deb answered. To this Lucas said a disappointed 'I don't believe this.'

"Yeah, the ring is beautiful." Ryan said as they flashed an image of Brooke with the ring, that could've been taken when she and Luke were about to leave Daniel's.

"It is. My daughter is really happy about it. I mean, she was so surprised last night, I know she wants this, and I'm really happy for them." Victoria added in a very caring tone. Something Brooke didn't even dreamed of hearing. E! then flashed an image of Brooke and Lucas as he was putting on the ring on her. They were both smiling. "How did this happen?" Brooke asked herself again as she began to pace.

"Did they set any particular date already?" Ryan asked and Dan smiled at him. Lucas Scott suddenly felt helpless at that moment. Could they still possibly fix this? He thought to himself.

"Well, we don't really know, but those two are so in love with each other, I don't know, maybe they'll just surprise us again." Dan finished with a smile on his face. One that would make people believe that he only wants his son happy.

"Well thank you Dan, Deb, Richard and Victoria." Ryan finished and reported again. "So that's it ladies and gentlemen. Lucas Scott and Brooke Davis are engaged. To Lucas and Brooke, if you're watching, I just want to say congratula—" Before Ryan finished Brooke hit the power button turning the TV off.

"I can't believe they're doing this!" Brooke said in a tired angry tone, then turned to Lucas who looked like he's giving up on the situation. "Don't give me that look Scott!" She tells him and he just stares at her in confusion.

"What look?" He asks earning an immediate answer. "Like your just gonna let this fabricated engagement happen!" Lucas Scott's jaw dropped. It was like Brooke Davis read his mind. He knows his dad, and as much as he hates to admit it, both him and Brooke are trapped in his little play, and matter of factly, he didn't know what else to do either.

"Well do you have any other plans in mind?" He asks in frustration. "Because if you do, then let's get this whole thing done and over with." Her told her and Brooke grew silent. "It's not like we could just tell them 'Hey, our parents just set us up. This whole thing is a fluke. We're not dating, we're not engaged, and we're sure as hell _not_ getting married!" No matter how hard he tried to restrain his anger, thinking about how Dan royally screwed up with him just makes him lose it.

"Okay." Brooke began calmly. "So telling them this whole thing is a set up is _not_ an option." She continued as she tried to think of something else. When nothing came, she just felt like giving up. "God I hate my parents." She huffed, then stifled a laugh.

"You can still laugh about this?" Lucas asked her, quite amused. "Me? I just feel like crying." He admits with a groan and Brooke laughed again.

"I'm sure as hell not gonna let my parents make me cry about this." Brooke said full of conviction. Yes, Brooke Davis is and has always been a fighter, and a fabricated engagement isn't something that's gonna bring her down. Although, one could safely say that Lucas Scott and Brooke Davis being engaged is hardly a plan to bring each other down.

"So does that mean you actually have something in mind?" Lucas asks suddenly hopeful. Maybe there still is something they could do. "No." Brooke huffs and both of their faces fall. "But breakfast sounds good." She continues as she got up from her seat. Lucas who seemed to be so surprised just looked at her.

"We have this big mess to think about, and you're thinking about food?"He asks her in an 'I can't believe you' tone, because if you ask him, food would be the last thing on his mind. Okay, maybe not, but it sure isn't on the top list.

"Of course!" Brooke answers in a somewhat obvious tone. When she sees Lucas' face she continues. "Let me ask you this, can you play basketball when you're hungry?" She says and sees him with a defeated look on his face. "Yeah, that's what I thought." She said mockingly and grabbed her jacket. "What are you doing?" He asked her again. "I'm going to eat!" She answers quite irritated with his questions. "Where?" He followed up and she shouted at him. "Outside!"

"Outside? You're going to eat outside?" He began. "Are you serious? Do you really think you can eat something out there without a microphone being shoved into your face?" He tells her quite harshly, after all, what he told her is highly possible. "That was a stupid idea." Brooke admits, but she doesn't get a reply from him.

"Dammit! Where's Nathan when you need him!" Lucas says irritatedly as he began to dial a number he knew well. "Nathan! Where are you?!" Lucas shouted as soon as the other picked up.

"The roads are jammed man. It might take _us_ another hour to get there." Nathan explained in an understanding tone. He experienced a fest somewhat like this before (though not as big) when the press found out about Haley being pregnant, and God, he didn't like it.

"You brought Haley with you?" Lucas asks and even though his brother doesn't answer, he knows he did. "Whatever, just call me when you get here." Lucas told him and shut his phone. Just then, they hear a knock on the door.

"That's probably Rachel and Peyton." Brooke informed him as she rushed towards the door to open it.

"Brooke!" Lucas could see the red-head envelop Brooke in a tight embrace. She seemed so excited. He then sees another one behind the excited one. She had two papers bags on both her hands of what he assumed to be food because of the Chinese characters written on it. The blonde didn't seem as enthusiastic as the red head, rather, Lucas picked up a somewhat upset feeling when he looked at her.

"Rach…air." Brooke gasped as she tried to get out of her friend's tight embrace. "Oops. Sorry!" Rachel replied as she let go of Brooke, then her eyes lighting up again when she heard a rustling sound at the back. "Hey P. Sawyer." Brooke greeted sweetly, reminded of her blonde friends reaction earlier that day.

"So, you got hubby in there?" Rachel turned to Brooke and nodded towards the direction of her living room. When she heard no reply, she got overly excited again. "You sneak!" She exclaimed, her voice turning more and more excited.

"Okay, this has got to stop." Brooke began and Lucas thought that was his cue to show himself. "Anyway, guys meet Lucas, Lucas this are my best friends Peyton and Rachel." Before anyone could greet, Rachel exclaimed again.

"So when's the wedding?!" She asked throwing off both Lucas and Brooke. Lucas stifling a nervous laugh. "Everyone has got this all wrong." Brooke began as she walked into her kitchen and the three followed her. Her two friends having questioning look on their faces.

Peyton who still seemed upset placed the bag she's holding on the table and spoke up for the first time they got there. "I still can't believe you didn't tell me."

"Okay, first, Lucas and I aren't engaged. Second of all, is that food? Coz I'm starving." Brooke told them as she grabbed one of the boxes and started digging in. Lucas had an amused look on his face. Never in his entire life that he expected to see a Brooke Davis eating like there's no tomorrow.

"She really eats like that when she's stressed. Gross right?" Rachel said when she sees Lucas' reaction as he continued to stare at Brooke.

"No, I mean, I just never thought I'd see Brooke Davis eat like that." Lucas replied as he pointed to the brunette, letting out an amused laugh.

"Like what?" Brooke asked, her mouth still full. Yeah, you wouldn't definitely see Brooke Davis eating spoon after spoon in public.

"So what is this about you and him not being engaged? Because I don't know what the deal with you two is, but the pictures says otherwise." Peyton says in a serious tone, Rachel nodding in agreement. Obviously, like the red head, she also wanted answers – in detail.

"We are _not_ engaged, but I suggest we eat first and we'll tell you when my brother gets here." Lucas told them and saw Brooke cock an eyebrow at him. "What?!" He asks.

"What are you going to eat? You have no food here. Rach-ho and P. Sawyer bought and brought these for _me_." Brooke told him as she pulled the bags of food closer to her. Lucas' jaw almost dropped, the next thing he hears are the laughs of all three women.

"You should've seen your face! Precious!" Rachel said in between laughs, then he sees himself laughing with them. Yeah, that definitely put him at ease for a little bit.

"So your brother is coming?" Peyton asked as all of them started to dig in. Lucas just nodded as his mouth was still full. "Good thing my place could contain us all." Brooke added and her two friends just rolled her eyes at her. Lucas gave the three of them an 'I don't know what you're talking about' look. After two and a half boxes of Chinese, Brooke thought she'd never be able to eat as much as that in her entire life again.

"Well, well, you are still most definitely the Chinese monster here." Rachel laughed as she watched her brunette friend ramble about eating too much. "You didn't even give the guy here a chance!" Peyton added as she looked over to the other blonde who seems to be having fun.

"So, let me get this straight. You and slutty Brooke here aren't engaged?" Rachel asked while Lucas just nodded then turned to Brooke as to why would her so called friend call her 'slutty.'

"Don't worry, she always calls me that. Anyway, for the nth time Rachel, Lucas and I are nowhere near engaged. Okay? _Nowhere._" Brooke answered putting emphasis on the _nowhere _and Rachel only cocked an eyebrow.

"If so, then why are you still wearing that gorgeous ring?" She asked as she pointed to the delicate embellishment on her friend's finger.

"It's stuck." Brooke answered and Lucas couldn't help but laugh at both Rachel and Peyton's reactions. "What's so funny?" Peyton asked, and Lucas just shrugged.

"It's stuck?!" Rachel said sarcastically. "You couldn't come up with a better excuse so you tell me it's stuck?!" Again, Lucas couldn't help but laugh. Brooke just shrugs and asks Rachel to see for herself.

"It's stuck!" The red head sighs and Brooke and Lucas gives her an 'I told you so.' Look. "Well have you tried soap? Lotion?" Rachel asks again. Just then, they are interrupted by a knock on the door.

"That must be Nathan and Haley." Lucas told them and Brooke immediately got up from her seat and proceeded to open the door. As she did, she saw both Nathan and Haley standing outside. Nathan obviously tried to make a smile on his face, while Haley, looked upset, just like Peyton when she arrived. Lucas wasn't surprised to see Haley there, who obviously had a lot to say to him, considering it was a death glare she first gave him when their eyes met.

"Oh right, uh, This is my brother Nathan and my best friend Haley, Nate, Hales, this is Brooke and those over there are Rachel and Peyton." Lucas introduced as Brooke instructed the two to get in.

"Have you guys eaten?" Brooke asked as she ushered them to the living room. "Because if you haven't, we have Chinese." She told them, then pointing towards the dining room.

"Actually, yeah, we have. But thanks anyway." Haley replied nicely. Lucas didn't really think Haley would be nice, if anything, he thought Haley was going to shout at Brooke at the least, but people do surprise you sometimes, don't they?

"Anyway, here are those newspapers and tabloids that you wanted, and by the way, I would really love to hear about your engagement." Nathan told them with a smile on his face, actually happy about the news. "They're not engaged!" Rachel couldn't help to butt in. Brooke turned to give her a glare which she only waved with a hand.

"Excuse me, what?" Haley tried to confirm if what she heard was right, because truthfully, the news about their engagement was enough to throw her out of her seat, now hearing about them not being engaged after hearing they are in fact engaged is just more confusing.

"Okay, before Haley blows up on me, I know the four of you have questions, a lot of questions, okay. Brooke and I are here to explain. So how about we seat this one out and we'll tell you everything." Lucas told them and with that it began.. After three hours of non- stop talking, all six of them fell into an awkward silence, just because the four seemed to ran out of questions and the other two were too tired answering them. Brooke thought this has got to be the most tiring day of her life, ever. Lucas thinks so too.

"Okay, I think my head hurts." Haley is the first one to speak as she rubbed her temples. Thinking about everything Brooke and Lucas told them was just, unbelievable!

"But the pictures, I mean, take a look at this one, 'Lucas Scott says 'I love you' to his fiancée before he leaves'" Nathan pointed and asked for Brooke and Lucas to take a look.

"Okay, first of all I wasn't saying I love you. I was saying 'you're welcome.'" Lucas explained. "Apparently, they only got the 'you' part." Brooke added.

"Well, how about this one, you looked pretty much in love here." Rachel pointed to the one where Lucas was putting on the ring to Brooke.

"Okay, so we're smiling! I mean, I can't believe I'm getting an expensive ring for God's sake!" Brooke answered exasperatedly. "Yeah, and we didn't know there were cameras there! Hell, we didn't know about each other being there either!" Lucas backed her up and they all fell silent again.

"Okay, so what are you going to do now?" Peyton asked out of nowhere, as she stood beside the window seeing the streets still swarming with reporters. Neither Brooke nor Lucas spoke. "I mean, you must've have something in mind right?" Peyton looks at both of them and they just shrugged.

"To think I finally found the reason why Brooke wasn't dating." Rachel sighed and stared at the others blankly, then Lucas tensed up as he is reminded of the very large detail they forgot to tell the others. "And Lucas too." Haley added.

"So why can't you just tell those hundreds of people out there that this was a set up?" Nathan is the one to ask, and that's when Brooke is reminded why. "Because our parents practically announced on national television that we have been seeing each other for a year and a half." Lucas informed and heard a loud 'what?' in unison.

"Yeah, and apparently, I have been waiting for him to propose and my mother is really happy for us!" Brooke added which almost knocked Rachel off of her seat.

"How? When? Where?" Haley asked. She thought clearing things up would stop her head from spinning, unfortunately, it just made it spin faster.

"On E!, This morning. They set up an interview with Ryan Seacrest." Lucas replied, his voice already about to give up. "And I thought my parents were evil." Rachel remarked, as if pitying the 'engaged' couple.

"So you're just gonna go with it? I mean, you're just gonna pretend you're engaged?" Peyton asked in a rebellious tone. "What are you saying Peyt? Do you think we have any other choice?" Brooke asked, hoping her blonde friend has something up her sleeve.

"Of course you have a choice! It's pretty easy. You just go down there and tell those people your engagement was a fake." She explained and Brooke just felt like crying. "You do know that's easier said than done, right?" Lucas questioned , not believing that the blonde is actually thinking of them doing it.

"Well I don't see any other choice you have, so it's either you do it, or you go along with this twisted plan of your parents." Peyton stated, matter of factly. "But I don't want to be engaged! No offense Lucas." Brooke rambled and Peyton just stared at her not knowing what to say next. "That's the first time you called him by his name." Rachel noticed, the others not really paying attention to what she said.

"I think Peyton's right. You should just come out there and just tell them this was a mistake." Haley tells them and started pacing. "A horrible one at that." Peyton added. If anything, the blonde only wants what's best for her friend, and as she can see it, the way things are isn't what's best for Brooke, or maybe not?

"Can't you see what this will do to both our careers?" Lucas reasoned. "It's not exactly a 'role model' line to tell everyone your parents are conniving liars." He continued. "Seriously? You're 'falsely' engaged and you're thinking about your career?" Peyton accused quite harshly, though not meaning it to come out the way it did.

"He's right Peyt. Just imagine what the press is gonna do. They freaking have a gab fest down there. Imagine when we tell them it's fake. They're going to ruin us!" Brooke pleaded.

"Okay, so don't tell them now. We'll set up a conference tomorrow, then you tell them." Nathan added as he himself run out of ideas. Well, not really ran out since nothing registered in his mind either, other than Peyton's suggestion.

"Yeah, that could work. Right?" Haley asked and Nathan, Peyton and Rachel nodded in agreement. Brooke and Lucas however are still undecided. "Come on you two, that's the only way. I mean, if you're willing to pretend, that is." Rachel hinted but she just got a resounding 'No.' from the two. "So, maybe pretending wouldn't isn't such a good idea." She told them again as the other three (Nathan, Haley and Peyton) managed to smile from Rachel's wild idea. The two however, aren't the least happy about it.

"Okay, fine. Tomorrow we tell them." Brooke answered bravely while she heard Lucas hissed at her. "Brooke! I thought that wasn't an option?" He asked her, quite frustrated. "I hate to break it to you, but we have no other choice. I mean, do you want to stay engaged? Coz I'm sure as hell don't. Again, no offense." Brooke said calmly as she started dialing her phone.

"You got pawned man." Nathan teased. "But she's right. You have no other choice. Just deal with things one step at a time, okay? Think about what will happen after you clear this up." Nathan adviced then patted his brother on the shoulder. "I'm sure as hell not going to let Dan freaking get away with this." Lucas said irritated and defeated at the same time as he too got up from his seat and started dialing his phone too.

"Who knew you guys had crazy parents?" Rachel started when she noticed the dead air the fell onto the four of them.

"You should've seen the two of them in high school. Dan's practically killing them with basketball." Haley shared as they are all now well aware of how evil Dan Scott is.

"Well, Victoria Davis doesn't fall too far behind. That woman is a monster. Richard however, I have to be a little forgiving. He's just the caring father." Peyton shared next and both Nathan and Haley understood.

"Cared too much apparently." Rachel added, just then, Brooke walked back in with them a much relieved expression on her face.

"Okay, so that was Peter. Anyway, he's one of my friends from the press who's been calling me non- stop." She explained and breathe for a while. "So I told him we'll have a press conference tomorrow and we'll clear everything from there."

"Sounds good. Luke's calling his agent, I think." Haley said as she looked at her best friend who's still on the phone.

"God, am I really gonna do this?" Brooke looked up as the four people in front of her gave her sympathetic looks. "Well, you don't know how my phone just went on and on ringing this morning!" Rachel told her and Brooke just gave her a glare. "I mean, what if weren't able to answer their questions? Or what if they're not happy with our answers? I'm done for." Brooke rambled feeling all sense of hope vanish from her. She sat beside Rachel who was nice enough to give her a friendly hug. Peyton sat and hugged her too.

"Okay, that was my—Brooke? What's happening?" Lucas asked worriedly as he returned to the room, phone in hand and saw the two girls hugging the brunette.

"She's okay. She just needs a good hug." Rachel answered and gave him a smile.

"Well, the conference is scheduled around 10:00 am, here." Lucas began. "Frankly, I don't know how I am gonna tell them about it tomorrow." He admits and he sees Haley's eyes light up.

"We're going to coach you. That's it!" She says and the other five just looked at her in confusion. "Care to explain?" Nathan eyed her as he had one of his arms wrapped around her shoulder.

"We're going to ask Brooke and Luke questions, and they're going to answer it. Simple as that." She tells all of them earning agreeing looks. "What can I say, my wife's a genius." Nathan said as he planted a kiss on Haley's forehead.

"The conference is tomorrow! How are we supposed to learn all the answers, because as far as I know, those people down there have a lot of questions." Brooke ranted, starting to get worried. Maybe telling everyone isn't such a good idea.

"We'll just have to learn them now Brooke, not unless you want to stay 'engaged.'" Lucas told her, which he figured was enough to keep Brooke motivated.

"Okay, but first I need to eat, because all this fake engagement is using up all my energy." Haley suggested and eyed the others.

"I agree. Answering all your questions definitely was tiring." Lucas replied. "I second that." Brooke added, knowing exactly the feeling of entertaining her friend's questions earlier.

"Now the next question is, where are we going to get food? Because I'm not about to go down there and be press slaughtered." Rachel asked earning laughs form the others.

"Brooke do you have anything on the fridge?" Haley asked, and when she saw Brooke nod, she eyed Lucas next. "What?" He says. "You're going to cook for us." Haley instructed and the three girls looked at her confusedly.

"Are you sure we'll be able to eat if he cooks?" Brooke asks and Nathan laughs. Surely, Brooke Davis doesn't know anything about Lucas Scott, well, other than he's a basketball player of course.

"Are you suggesting to cook for us, Brooke?" Haley asked her and Rachel suddenly spoke up. "God no. I'd rather go down there and take the risk of having a microphone shoved in my face while eating, rather than eat Brooke's cooking." Rachel told them in horror.

"That bad?" Lucas teased as he got up from his seat not missing the glare Brooke gave him. "Well why don't I go see if you're any better." Brooke challenged as she and Lucas vanished to the kitchen.

"So why don't we start listing the questions while those two cook?" Nathan suggested and the three girls just nodded, but not before Payton makes a joking remark. "You mean as Lucas cooks and Brooke watches him cook?" And the four of them enjoy a good laugh.

"Okay, so let's see what you have." Lucas mumbled as he opened the fridge and saw it fully stocked. "You have your fridge fully stocked but you don't know how to cook. Are you sure these aren't gonna rot in here?" He turned to Brooke as she teased her.

"Well you wouldn't know when a sudden engagement comes up and we need to cook right?" Brooke counters making fun of the situation they're in.

"So you have chicken, pasta, tropical fruits. This could work." He tells her and Brooke doesn't have any idea what he's talking about. "So, you're gonna help me or what?" Lucas asked as he started taking out things form the fridge and asked Brooke to set it out on the counter.

"I'm going to make the chicken, you make the salad, okay?" Lucas told her and Brooke just shrugs. Frankly, she doesn't have any idea what she's supposed to do. "So here, you just peel these fruits and tell me when you're done." Lucas ordered as he gave Brooke a peeler and handed her a bowl of apples, pears and bananas.

"Are you sure you don't cook?" Lucas asked as he familiarized himself with Brooke's kitchen, which is apparently, nicely equipped for someone who doesn't cook. "Nope. I tried to boil eggs once and I still burnt it." She answers and Lucas couldn't believe that was even possible.

"Well at least you have a nice kitchen." He tells her as he began cleaning the chicken breast. "The place is already furnished when I bought it. It looked good so I didn't bother having them take it out." She shared as she was down to her final fruit to peel.

"When you're done with that you should take out the strawberries and grapes you have in there and wash them." Lucas looked towards the fridge and then back to Brooke. Brooke did as she was told and as soon as she was finished, Lucas instructed her to cut the fruits. She was hesitating at first but she did it anyway.

"Ouch!" Brooke slightly screamed then saw blood on her finger. "Shit. Are you okay?" Lucas rushed to her and left the boiling chicken and pasta for a while.

"You don't know how to cut things either?" Lucas asked as he couldn't believe how a woman could be so clueless in the kitchen, then again, she is Brooke Davis. "It's okay, I always cut myself from time to time." She tells him as if it happens all the time. "You mean this happened before?" He asks and she just nods.

"Well do you have a band aid here?" Lucas asked as he took a look at Brooke's finger, then seeing Brooke pointing to one of the drawers. He then puts a band aid in it then instructs Brooke to watch the chicken and pasta for him.

Lucas finished cutting the fruits and was now mixing what Brooke thought to be a sort of dressing. Watching the chicken and pasta boil so she asks Lucas if she could do it instead. "I can do that you know." She started as she looked at how delicately he mixed all the things together.

"Do you want to?" He turns to her and Lucas sees her nod, then handing the bowl to her. "Just make sure you don't mix it too fast, otherwise it won't work." He tells her and he goes back to strain the chicken and the pasta.

"What did you put in here?" Brooke asked as she took in the sumptuous smell of the one she's mixing. "Just vanilla, cinnamon, cream cheese, brown sugar, and yeah, lemon juice. You're fridge is really well stocked." He tells her not taking his eyes away from what he's doing.

That explains it. Brooke thought to herself. "How long do I have to do this?" She asks him as she continued mixing. "Just five more minutes. Then you can put the fruits in then it's done." He explains as he continued what he's doing.

"Oh, okay." After five minutes Brooke transferred the dressing onto a bigger bowl and tossed the fruits in. "You could put it in the fridge first so it'll be cooler later." Lucas instructed and Brooke followed, but not before she had a taste of it for herself. "What are you doing?" Brooke asked as he saw Lucas put the chicken in a large skillet.

"Oh, the chicken needs to be browned." He answers and Brooke doesn't bother to ask why is that anymore, because kitchen talk isn't something she really understands. "Oh, okay." She simply says. "So is this pasta done?" She asks again and Lucas smiles at her telling her yes. "Should I strain it? Or is it really supposed to have water?" When Lucas tells her he'll just do it himself, she insists and grabs the nearest pot holder.

"Brooke, be careful. You might burn yourself." He warned and assisted her in straining the pasta. "Now you're just making me feel useless. Hey, I may not be good in the kitchen, in fact, I have no idea what we're doing here, but I can do this. Okay?" She tells him and he steps aside. "Just do your thing there because I'm really hungry." Brooke tells him and he goes back to browning the chicken.

After another good thirty minutes, lunch is almost prepared and everything has been set on the table when Rachel comes in. "Okay, what's taking you so long?" She asks as she was surprised to see the plates beautifully arranged on the table.

"Unfortunately Rach-ho, cooking isn't something you can rush." Brooke says as she sees the red head quite amazed by what she saw.

"Like you're the one who cooked, and I'm sure you're not the one who arranged those plates either!" She mocked and exited to call the others. Soon they finished Lucas' cooking as Lucas got a lot of praises from the three girls who were really surprised that Lucas Scott knew something in the kitchen, in fact, he didn't just know how to cook, he makes great food.

"Okay, so we also prepared dessert. This one, I'm sure you're gonna like." Lucas told them as he got up from his seat and took out the bowl Brooke had put in earlier. "Brooke's the one who made this, so enjoy." When Lucas said that Peyton and Rachel stopped for a moment and looked at each other.

"Are you sure we'll still be alive after we eat this?" Rachel asked Lucas just to tease Brooke.

"Okay, Lucas was the one who made the dressing, I just mixed it. That being said, it is safe to eat that." Brooke admitted, so much for getting credit for what you didn't do. All of them laughed and as soon as they finished cleaning up Haley asked them to gather in the living room again.

"Okay, so here's the plan. We've prepared some questions and you're gonna answer them. Okay?" Haley explained and both Brooke and Lucas nodded.

"Okay, here's the first one. Brooke, when are you getting married?" Peyton was the one to ask, but not really in a 'reporter' like tone. "What?" Brooke didn't really know what to say, plus she didn't really expect the question.

"Okay Brooke, tomorrow, when you face the press, you can't look like you're surprised or something, you have to be prepared." Rachel said calmly and awfully supportive. "It looks like word already got 

out. There aren't as much reporters compared to this morning." Lucas noticed as he took a peak outside the window.

"Luke! I need you to focus here. Unless you want to royally screw up tomorrow." Haley instructed as Luke took a seat beside Brooke facing their four friends.

"Okay, let's try one again. Luke, why did you choose to hide your relationship with Brooke?" Rachel asked, being more into the role of a reporter. Lucas thought for a moment and tried come up with something. "The truth is, Brooke and I aren't really hiding anything." He answers, the four quite impressed.

"So of course they'll gab again. Moving on, 'not hiding anything? What do you mean?'" Haley followed up. "We mean, were not hiding anything because there's nothing to hide. I mean, there's nothing going on with Lucas and I." Brooke answered and again the four were quite impressed with her.

"Okay, that could work. Next question. 'what do you mean nothing's going on? What about the engagement?'" Haley asked more 'reporter' like than Rachel. "All the pictures, everything, our parents did all of that without our knowledge." Lucas explained and thought for a while if that would be really something he would say.

"Okay, that's good. 'So are you telling us that this whole thing is fabricated?'" Nathan was the one to ask this time. "Yes, but we didn't know anything about it until this morning, shoot, one more time. We didn't know about this until yesterday morning." Brooke answered calmly. So maybe it's not really as hard as it sounds.

"You mean you just wanted publicity so you fabricated a fake engagement?" Peyton asked out of nowhere throwing both Lucas and Brooke completely off guard. "Nice one Peyt. So yeah, you want more publicity and what better way than to use the press!" Rachel followed up and didn't even give the two a chance to answer first, but before Haley could speak, Brooke managed to say something.

"No, our parents did this to us! We didn't know we're being fixed!" She said full of emotion.

"Okay, that's a good one Brooke. 'But your parents had an interview yesterday. Are you telling us your parents are lying?'" Haley spoke again. "Yes. No! Our parents just didn't know we didn't want this. There has been a huge misunderstanding." Lucas answered and truthfully, he thinks it was a pretty good one. Hours passed as they continued the questioning taking breaks in between when they noticed it was already dark outside. In the process both Brooke and Lucas and familiarized themselves with what to say if ever a particular sort of question comes up.

"So I think you'll do just fine tomorrow." Haley assured as she, Nathan, and Lucas prepared to leave. "We have to, right?" Brooke replied as all of them walked towards the door. "I still couldn't believe we're risking so much here." Lucas sighed and Brooke just looked at him understanding what he means.

"Everything will turn out alright. You'll see." Rachel encouraged, and with that the three Scotts left. Brooke, Peyton and Rachel peeked outside the window and watched the reporters swarm at the three when they left. Tomorrow will surely be a day to watch out in the entertainment industry. Brooke just hopes that it won't be remembered as the day people started hating her.

* * *

Okayyyyyyy! I enjoyed writing this. I hoped you enjoyed reading it too. Anyway, I would really love to hear what you have to say. A Big, BIG Thank You to all those who reviewed last time. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I know, I know, this one took so long. I'm so sorry for making you guys wait, but I just had to make sure it'll at the least have that something in it. Anyways, here's the update. You might be confused at some parts (or not) and if you are, you can ask me, and maybe I'll tell you. Haha. Just Kidding. So here it is. Thank Yous are at the bottom.

**Title:** Dinner Tuner Engagement

**Chapter 3:** Skeletons in Our Closet

Lucas Scott drove back to his East Hampton estate alone, where a couple of motorcycles still followed him. They never get tired. He thought to himself. As he pulled over into his driveway a number of reporters still approached him. He didn't mind smiling to every camera that flashed anymore though. He thought they'd understand that he had a long day.

He still doesn't think it's a good idea to tell the press that the whole thing is just made up. On the other hand, staying engaged doesn't sound so good to him either. It's not that he doesn't like Brooke, because as far as he's concerned, Brooke Davis is a beautiful woman. In fact, if you ask him, he still thinks he got lucky because it was her that Dan picked rather than some other rich businessman's daughter, then again, not really lucky because he didn't want to be engaged in the first place.

Before he decided to call it a night he dialed Dan Scott's number leaving him a message Lucas knows his father wouldn't like. "This isn't happening Dan, not if I can help it." His voice was full of spite and anger. He really didn't understand why his father is doing it, or why does it have to include him.

Brooke Davis laid in bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. Although Peyton and Rachel had insisted on staying with her for the night, she managed to assure them that she will be okay. Brooke started to assess her day and she realized she didn't even think of calling her parents. She thought about what she'll tell them if she calls them now. It's not exactly an everyday occurrence that your parents fixes you to an engagement you have no idea about, and it's not like phone calls to her parents are a normal thing either.

She then thought about having the Scotts and her friends there. At most, she knows Nathan and Haley are married and having a baby and that Lucas Scott can cook, but other than that she didn't know anything else. She didn't know what kind of people they really are, but having them there made her feel a little at ease with the situation.

What came next into Brooke's mind is what's going to happen tomorrow. Being a public figure had its advantages, but also came with it is the press wanting to know all about you and your personal life. It doesn't help that she's friends with a famous model and a well known producer either. If anything, the press just wanted more from her. Thinking about everything and the possibility that it could end her career just made her more tired than she already is, before she knows it, she had drifted off to sleep.

She had woken not to the sound of her alarm clock, but to the rays of the sun that blinded her when she opened her eyes. She felt her eyes burn and when she went to look at them in the mirror, they were puffy.

On the floor were a bunch of newspapers scattered all over. Each one of them saying the same thing. She broke down and dialed her friends numbers, but no one picked up. It seemed like they were avoiding her like the plague. She then collapsed on the floor picking up every paper that led her to her current condition.

"Brooke Davis fakes engagement to get publicity."  
"Brooke Davis uses Lucas Scott for publicity."  
"Clothes over Bros. loses major clients."  
"Brooke Davis, the loner designer."

She then got up and braved everything, then decided that maybe she just needs a morning run. Just as soon as she left the establishment, some people who were just standing on the streets started throwing eggs - at _her_. To her horror, one is about to crash in her face, then she heard a loud thud. The next feeling she got was her back aching.

It was still dark. She was in her pajamas, and there weren't any newspapers scattered on her floor. When she looked at her clock, it read 5:12 am. Slowly she got up, realizing it was just a dream.

"It's just a dream. It's just a bad dream." She told herself as she washed her face in the bathroom. She thought about calling both Rachel and Peyton, but ended up not doing so. She was just being paranoid, she thought.

Two and a half years ago, if you would've asked Lucas Scott if he ever saw himself engaged today he would've laughed at you, or maybe he would've just punched you square in the face. Lucas Scott _was_ that person, but after something happened he realized he didn't want to be the guy who hit people without any particular reason anymore.

"Good morning son." The voice of Dan Scott was very much irritating to hear, especially when it's Lucas Scott who hears it.

"What do you want dad?" He asked, still upset with what his father is trying to do.

"Oh, just wanted to ask you a question. Whatever happened to that girl you dated from two years ago? You think you could tell the press about it later?" Dan asked, and Lucas could only imagine he had this evil smirk on his face. But mostly, he felt terrified. "Well, don't worry, if you miss it I'll just be the one to tell them. Bye." Dan told Lucas then hang up, leaving his son speechless and motionless.

Lucas Scott paced around his living room, terrified as hell as to what will happen after him and Brooke break their fake engagement. He pictured possible scenarios in his mind. One was him being thrown off the team and losing basketball, then there was the other where he goes to jail. Either way, he still loses the one thing that keeps him going – basketball. Surely, after Nathan and Haley finds out about what he did, they'll surely hate him and that meant losing the only family he has, as far as he's concerned of course. Right now, he didn't really count Deb in.

Thinking about how they all planned about today yesterday, it didn't really register in his mind that Dan Scott could be the most manipulative person one could actually meet. Hell, he didn't even think that the guy he called his father could actually blackmail him for something he didn't mean to do. Nonetheless, what mattered in the end was he did _it_.

He can't let this happen, but he doesn't want to go along with his father's schemes either. He knows he's being selfish thinking about not going through the whole 'breaking up the engagement' thing, but right now that's the only choice he's got, just until he finds out what Dan wants. So, immediately, he dressed as he normally would. With only a striped polo shirt on, denim pants and slip ons, he decides to go to Brooke's and tell her to not tell the world the truth. Yes, Lucas Scott chose to be selfish now.

Peyton arrived early at Brooke's because the brunette requested it. In fact, Brooke had called both Rachel and Peyton, but only the blonde showed up. She's almost finished getting ready when Peyton noticed she's a little flushed.

"Brooke? Are you okay? Are you sick?" Peyton asked as she looked at the brunette who looked straight back at her.

"Just promise me one thing." Brooke looked straight into Peyton's eyes with a certain look of seriousness in hers. If they were at normal circumstances, Peyton would've laughed, then again, they weren't.

"Okay, but just as long as I'll still live after." Peyton tried to joke as she slightly gave Brooke a squeeze by the arm, as if saying she's there for her.

"Promise me, promise me that no matter what happens, okay, whether this whole thing goes as planned, or even when I'm being egged on the streets after, that you'll still be my friend. Promise me." Brooke told her seriously, not an ounce of the possibility that she's joking in her voice.

"I think I might have to think about the egging first." Peyton smirked making Brooke's eyes grow wider. "And why would you be egged? Come on Brooke, that's never going to happen." She continued.

"Peyt! I'm serious!" The brunette hissed as she got up from her seat and faced her blonde friend. Peyton closed her eyes and then opened them with a comforting smile on her face.

"You know you'll always have me Brooke. _Always__." _Peyton told her as she got up and gave Brooke a hug. It is in that moment, that Brooke felt everything will be okay. At least for a couple of seconds she did, until they both hear Lucas calling for Brooke as he knocked on her door.

"You have to promise me Peyt." Brooke insisted still not minding to open the door, ignoring the loud pounds and thuds.

"I promise Brooke. Now go open that door before the guy behind it decides to tear it apart." Peyton answered hurriedly as she pushed her friend towards the loud thudding sound.

"Coming!" Brooke shouted as she swung the door open seeing an agitated Lucas who seemed to be way under dressed for a press conference. "Are you trying to break my door down?" Brooke asked as she raised an eyebrow then turned to Peyton who nodded in agreement.

"I need to talk to you." Lucas simply says with much seriousness in his voice. Brooke didn't really bother to say yes anymore, she just nodded. "I'll leave you two then. The conference is in two hours, don't be late." Peyton informed as Brooke nodded and let Lucas in while Peyton left.

"Okay, what do you need to talk about?" Brooke cut to the chase. She really wasn't completely ready for the conference yet. In fact she hasn't done her hair yet, and going to something swarming with cameras with bad hair isn't exactly designer like.

"I can't do this." Lucas answered deadpan. Brooke giving him the exact same look he had on.

"Okay, can you repeat that, because I think I just heard that you didn't want to do this." Brooke asked him quite appalled with what she just heard.

"I can't go through with this. Its..I'm..I..We can't…" Lucas Scott stuttered not managing to find the words that could best describe what will happen to him, to his life after.

"Okay, just remember what we did yesterday. We can do this, okay? Just think, you won't be in a fake engagement anymore after, and you can go on any date you like!" Brooke encouraged hoping it'll at least get him to consider changing his mind.

"I can't Brooke, I…You don't know what will happen." Lucas tried to reason. He knows not going through the conference is a bad idea, but it's not like he has any other choice right?

"You don't think I know that? You don't know how bad this is affecting me, okay? I can't even get some work done!" Brooke boiled. She for one, couldn't believe how Lucas Scott chose to be selfish now.

"You don't understand…I'm going to be ruined." Lucas told her again just making the brunette more infuriated.

"What don't I understand Lucas? Because as far as I know I'm the only one who could possibly understand what you're feeling right now! You think you'll be ruined? Well guess what, I dreamt about being egged on the streets last night!" Brooke shouted at him and Lucas was silent.

"I'm sorry for shouting on you okay? But we have to do this. We _need_ to do this. Otherwise we'll have to pretend in front on everyone who doesn't know the truth." Brooke explained as she squeezed Lucas by the arm. She felt good about what she did. She actually thought she'll be the one who'll need convincing, but obviously, she thought wrong.

"Two years ago I was a different guy." Lucas started with a pensive tone which confused Brooke. "I slept with random girls, I constantly went to sleep drunk. Nathan had to get me home. I also hit people without any reason at all. I..I really don't know what I was thinking then, or if I even think then." He finished and looked at Brooke with intense eyes. "I'm sorry but I can't do this." He got up from his seat and prepared to leave.

"Why would you tell me what you just told me?" Brooke asked quite angered by what Lucas is doing. "Why Lucas? What is it that you're so afraid of, you'd actually consider going with our parents plan?!" She asked him angrily, but he just continued walking. "You're not getting past this door until you tell me." Brooke told him as she blocked his way.

"Brooke, please." Lucas said, as if almost begging. This wasn't how he pictured everything. He actually thought Brooke would agree with him, then again, he hasn't told her what he came there for exactly.

"Just tell me, why would you tell me all those bad things about you?"Brooke asked sincerely which she thought was enough to get through him.

"I don't know…I just…I want you to know I'm not that person anymore." He answers and he looks at her straight in the eye.

"If you're not that guy then why are you doing this? What, you're just gonna leave me hanging? I thought we could do this? You said so yourself." Brooke said calmly. There was something in his words when he spoke about his past that intrigued her. Somehow she got the idea that something happened back then that he didn't want to talk about.

"I don't have any other choice Brooke, okay? I'm sorry but I can't afford to lose Nathan and Haley, I don't want to be thrown in jail, okay?" Lucas explained as he just stood in front of the brunette waiting for her to step aside.

"Why? Why would you lose them? Because if I'm correct those two would do anything for you. I mean I saw how they just came running here despite the gab fest yesterday, and Haley, she's pregnant, but still she came here for you. And jail? Why?" Brooke asked as she tried to read the blonde in front of her, but she can't. She after all, knew nothing about him.

"I'm sorry but I can't tell you." Lucas told her, his voice was cold and truthfully, it scared Brooke a bit. The Lucas Scott standing in front of her doesn't resemble the Lucas Scott she had spent the day with yesterday, because although the two of them got into a couple of arguments yesterday, he cared enough to say sorry to her, this one, although he says sorry, didn't really feel like he means it.

"So what difference does it make if you don't go to the conference and I do? Because if you ask me, that pretty much shouts we're not engaged." Brooke reasoned, starting to get infuriated again. She thought of the possible things that could be going on in his mind, but she really didn't arrive to a particular answer.

"I came here to ask you to not go through with the conference, but I don't see you doing that, so can I please leave now?" He asked again, with no emotions anymore. It was like he just gave up and was waiting for the punishment.

"How dare you! How dare you put something on me and not at the least tell me about it!" Brooke raged as she poked him on the chest. Lucas stepped back taking all the anger Brooke had to give. He after all, deserved it. "You're expecting me to go on a fake engagement with you and not even decide to tell me why?"

"Brooke, I can't…I can't tell you. I'm sorry." Lucas told her again as he walked past the brunette, leaving her alone. Yes, Brooke Davis has been ditched by Lucas Scott, and unfortunately, she has to face all the reporters waiting for them, alone.

Brooke was startled to hear a knock on the door, shortly after Lucas had left her. For a moment she thought he actually came back, until she heard a familiar voice which obviously doesn't belong to him.

"Brooke! Open up!" Rachel shouted, seemingly in a hurry to see her brunette friend. "Rach! Where were you?" Brooke asked as she swung the door open, her eyes almost tearing up. "I'm so sorry, I overslept." The red head explained, then stopped when she saw the brunette's state. "Hey, what happened?" She asked as she pulled Brooke in a comforting hug.

"He's not going to show." Brooke mumbled onto her friends shoulder, and started to cry, but just a little. "Ok, I don't need you crying now. The conference is in an hour." Rachel told her as she checked her watch and guided Brooke to a seat and tried to calm her friend. "How am I…going to handle…this? I'm just…as scared…as he is." Brooke said in between sobs. Rachel started dialing on to her phone while she tried to soothe Brooke.

"Hey, Peyt, we need you here, now. Please hurry." Rachel said onto her phone as the person on the other end of the line picked up. "Rachel? What? Where?" The other replied, quite confused as to what her friend is talking about. "At Brooke's. Something happened." Rachel explained, not minding to go into details as she herself was clueless as to what had happened to their friend. "What? Ok, just hold on. I'm coming." Peyton replied as she shut her phone and hurried to her friend's aid. Five minutes later, the two girls who were waiting heard a knock on the door. Rachel came to get it and saw Peyton. They both hurried to back see Brooke who wasn't near ready to face a crowd.

"Brooke, what happened?" Peyton asked as she rushed to the brunette along with Rachel. "I left you here an hour ago and everything was just fine." "He…he's not showing up." Brooke told Peyton. "What do you mean he's not showing up? He was just here, right?" The blonde asked as she had seen Lucas earlier. "He was, and then he said we shouldn't do it and he said some things about Nathan and Haley and going to jail. I don't know." Brooke said in quite a panic, not really knowing what she's going to do.

"That ass!" Rachel remarked, in an attempt to make her friend feel better. Truly, it quite did, as Brooke gave her a half smile. "What am I going to do you guys? Am I just about to face those reporters alone?" Brooke asked, all hope as if running out of her body. "I know what we're going to do. We're going to fix you up, and we're going to do this, together. Okay?" Rachel told her full of conviction, as she grabbed Brooke by the hand and started re-touching her friend's make-up.

Thirty minutes later, Brooke looked like someone who's more than ready to face the press. At least on the outside, she did. On the inside however, all hell is breaking lose as panic took over her body. "Okay, Brooke, you've have got to calm down." Rachel told her friend as she rubbed her temples and paced around. "How Rach!? I'm about to practically commit social suicide here!" Brooke hissed as the three of them prepared to leave Brooke's place.

"Ok, you two have to stop panicking. Brooke, we're going to go down there and the three of us will face those people. Rachel and I aren't leaving you, okay? We're in this together." Peyton told the other two as she held each of their hands in hers and gave it a slight squeeze. "I'm not much for cheesy stuff, but Brooke, no matter what happens, you'll always have me and Peyton. Okay?" Rachel added as she herself was motivated by what her blonde friend said. Brooke nodded and the three of them prepared to face the press – together.

The press conference was pushed back to 10:30 am when some of the reporters requested to wait for Lucas Scott a little more. Brooke Davis sat with her friends growing impatient every second that passed. She wanted to tell them that there's no use waiting because the person they're expecting isn't coming in the first place. After thirty long minutes of waiting, the organizers had decided to push through with it, without Lucas of course. It was then that Brooke was called to face the media.

"We're here for you B. Davis. Just do your thing and we'll be here. Right Rach?" Peyton told the brunette then turning to the red head who was giving Brooke a smile of encouragement. Brooke breathe in and let out a heavy sigh to calm herself. "Ok, let's just get this done and over with." She tells the other two as she heard her name called and got up from her seat. Then as if on cue, Lucas Scott came running out of nowhere when his name was called too. Again, Brooke didn't know what to do. It seems like the guy is always ruining what she's come up with.

Brooke managed to keep the shock to herself, or at least that's what she thinks. When they both reach the table, they both have smiled plastered on their faces. "What are you doing here?" Brooke asked, her smile not falling. "I at least owe you this." Lucas answered simply as he pulled out a chair for her which Brooke was a bit hesitant to take first, but then she just smiled at the press and took the seat. The conference then began and they both prepared themselves for what's to come.

"Hi Brooke and Lucas, I'm Jerry from the Daily Post, uh, how long have you been together?" Jerry asked, pen and recorder in hand.

"Actually, we need to clarify something." Lucas was the one to speak as Brooke still seemed flush about it all. Brooke is actually thinking about what he told her earlier, and honestly, it bothered her a bit.

"What do you mean ?" Another asked as he raised his name tag which read John on top and New York post written below it.

"What I mean is this whole engagement is—" Lucas was about to tell them about it when Brooke suddenly cut him to it. "something we've been really excited about, and, and we, I mean, I didn't really see it coming this soon." Brooke said, to this Lucas Scott grew silent. He didn't know what the brunette was planning, and truthfully, he didn't know what else to say either.

"Isn't it that according to your parents you've been seeing each other for a year and a half now?" Another reporter stood up.

"No, that's not true, our parents don't know anything about our relationship. Right Lucas?" Brooke nudged the blonde who seemed to be zoning out. The bystanders, namely, Rachel, Peyton, Nathan and Haley all had surprised expressions on their faces as if asking each other what's going on.

He was a bit hesitant to answer the question at first, but seeing as he has no other choice, he does. "That's right. Our parents don't know anything about Brooke and I." He told the press which resulted to a few 'ooohs'and'aahhs'. He didn't think it'd roll of his tongue naturally, although he almost stuttered in the first few words.

"So are you telling us that everything your parents said on national television was a lie?" Jerry from the Daily Post spoke again. Brooke looked at Lucas with a smile on her face as if telling him everything will be alright.

"Not exactly, I mean, they did tell everyone that we're in love right?" Brooke joked and she could see majority of the reporters had content faces on. Who would've thought dreaming about reporters asking her about her engagement would come in handy? Lucas however had nothing but a fake smile on his face while his world spun in confusion on the inside.

"How about the rumors about your engagement being a set up, could that be in any way true?" To this both Brooke and Lucas tensed a bit, Brooke overcoming the shock faster, she after all, has always been the darling of the press.

"You know, actually, in a sense, it is. You see, Lucas and I, we didn't really like each other at first. Right Lucas?" Brooke nudged Lucas again as she got the hang of answering questions. She actually thought it's not that hard. Although a big part of her didn't know why she's doing what she's doing right now.

"That's true. Actually, our parents had this crazy idea that their kids should just marry. I mean, can you imagine us seeing each other for the first time and it's already our engagement night?"Lucas followed Brooke's lead as he tried to get the feel of it. He figured it would be easier to tell them something if it was actually based on facts.

"How is that possible?" Another reporter followed up, his voice really intrigued.

"When Brooke and I first met, it wasn't at some party or some fancy gathering. Actually, we met at dinner, one arranged by our parents. I was so surprised to see her there, and I was like, why are there other people here?" Lucas shared and some reporters laughed. Hell, Brooke did. Well, he really didn't know if it was really a laugh or just a forced one, but she did laugh.

"Yeah, and then out of nowhere our parents told us we're going to get married someday, and the two of us were like, what are you talking about?" Brooke continued with a silly voice and reporters were just more satisfied with their answers, some laughing even more.

"So you hated each other at first? How did you go from hating each other and then being in love?" A reporter asked with a smile on his face, as if amused by what he just heard.

"We actually wanted to get revenge from our parents, you know, because they were pretty persistent about it and I don't know, somewhere along trying to get revenge and now, we fell in love." Lucas answered eloquently. There were again "oohs" and "aahs" from the audience, only right now, it was louder.

Even Brooke had a content smile on. So maybe they're fooling everyone, but it sure is way better than risking social suicide right? Plus, she figured Lucas would be in big trouble if they did as planned, so she chose the more positive option right?

"I'd like to address this question to Lucas." The reporter began, as Lucas nodded towards him. "You were a completely different person some two and a half years ago, is that right?" The reporter asked as if putting Lucas on trial. To this, the blonde tensed a bit as he felt panic slowly creeping into his body.

"Yes, that would be true." He answered casually, as all the scenarios he played in his mind earlier that day flashed on to him again.

"So is Brooke Davis the reason why you decided that it's time for change?" The reporter asked and Brooke looked at Lucas nervously because it took him quite a while to regain his composure.

"It's a mixture of a yes and a no, actually. I mean, I was at a bad place then, and I felt like I needed to get out you know. By the time I met Brooke, I was already a changed person, and from then I'd like to think that I became a better person because of her." Lucas answered as someone who's in love would have.

Brooke wanted to believe the illusion that someone actually became a better person because of her. Then again, she knows better. Everything he said was just beautiful words spun together to make people believe they're in love.

Brooke could see both Rachel and Peyton scowl in Lucas' words from the corner of her eyes. She put a big smile on, dimples and all, everything is a show, and she's the lead actress. She thought she has to do her part well if they want it to sell, which right now is what they really intend to do.

"This one I'd like to address to Ms. Davis." The reporter began and Brooke was caught off guard, thinking all the while that they will be focusing on Lucas for a while. Unconsciously, she grabbed Lucas' hand from under the table where no one actually sees.

Lucas looks at her a bit worried that she might now know what to say, so he gives her a hand soft squeeze as if assuring her it's going to be okay.

"Were there any other people aside from the two of you who knows about your relationship?" As soon the question left the reporter's lips, Brooke felt relieved because she had actually thought of how she'll approach it.

"Just a few, actually, uhm, my two best friends over there, Rachel and Peyton." Brooke answered as she nodded to her two friends who just smiled at the people who turned to see them while Brooke gave them an apologetic look.

"How about from Lucas' side? Didn't anyone know?" The reporter followed up.

"No, actually, my brother, you know, Nathan Scott, he knows about it and his wife Haley knows too." Lucas added as he felt Brooke didn't know if she could include the other Scotts. Lucas eyed his brother who just had a straight face on, not minding to give the press as much a smile.

A guy, probably one from the organizer's side butted in telling everyone that they only have thirty minutes left. After hearing that, both Brooke and Lucas couldn't feel more relieved, then again they didn't expect the reporters to suddenly go wild.

"From the pictures, there weren't any of you two kissing, why is that?" One stood up, to this Brooke had an immediate answer.

"I guess it's because we kept our relationship too long you know, that maybe it got kind of a habit to not kiss in public." Brooke answered, which to her point of view pretty much made sense.

"About the hiding the relationship, why did you choose to hide it? And going back to my earlier question, for how long?" Jerry from the Daily post asked again.

"We chose to hide it, why?" Lucas began as he turned to Brooke who just shrugs. "I guess because we just didn't want people to, I don't know, watch out when we'll break up. I mean, being in this industry, we can't deny there are a lot of couples who looked good when they we're together but ended up breaking up. We just think that we look good together, we feel great together, and we want to stay together. So, yeah, I guess that's why." Lucas shared with a laugh. "And oh, to answer your question, we've been together for 10 months now." Lucas finished as he gave Brooke's hand (which he's still holding) a soft squeeze.

"10 months? Wouldn't that be too soon?" A reporter from the back asked loudly, enough for everyone to hear. Lucas still answered it though.

"I guess if you're in love you just know, you know? When it's time, you just know." Lucas answered again turning to Brooke and at that moment he couldn't feel more confident with his answers. If only they had truth in it.

"So when's the wedding?" One finally asked. Lucas and Brooke actually thought it'll be the first question reporters will asked them, but they were obviously wrong. Both of them looked at each other with smiles on, of course that was all acting.

"We don't know yet. We really haven't decided on a date." Brooke answered with the happiest face she could ever muster. More questions came up but the guy earlier had announced that the time is up and if they still want to clear some things, they'd have to set up an interview.

"How about that first public kiss!" A photographer shouted from behind. Brooke and Lucas froze for a moment. Of course they'd have to at least kiss. Real couples do that, except the two of them really aren't a couple.

"We have to sell this." Brooke whispered as she gave Lucas a peck on the cheek. For a second she thought she heard someone say 'boo'.

"Come on, that wasn't a kiss." Some other reporters remarked which caused both Brooke and Lucas to panic. Brooke squeezed Lucas' hand (which she still held on) as if asking for support, as she was starting to panic.

Slowly, Lucas caringly cupped Brooke's cheek and planted a kiss on her lips. Brooke was shocked but was able to get over it quickly when she realized she had to respond to add more realistic effect to it. Cameras flashed and the only thing that Brooke Davis thought about that moment is how she'll make her parents pay for everything. To one who didn't know anything about what's going on, that kiss held so much promise in it that it made the world fade away.

They broke apart and this time they let go of each other's hand. An awkward feeling came about, until their friends called out to them with very questioning looks on their faces. Ignoring the questioning looks she both received from Rachel and Peyton, Brooke immediately dragged Lucas towards the elevator and hit the close button repeatedly. Peyton and Rachel followed by Nathan and Haley were rushing to them, and she just hopes they don't make it because she really doesn't have the answers to their questions right now.

As the elevator doors closed, she sees the eyes of the four people before them grew wider, and also a figure who looked familiar to her, someone she had buried in the deepest parts of her heart. She just felt relieved for a while knowing she wouldn't have to answer so many questions for a couple more minutes, and to the fact that she could just be seeing things. The elevator began to ascend and when they were on the fourth floor, Brooke pressed the hold button startling a very silent Lucas. They needed to talk.

Brooke was the first to speak. After all, she was the one who really called the shots earlier. "First of all, I would be lying if I told you I did what I did for you. Partly, it was also for me. Second of all, not because you're not the primary reason why I did it, doesn't excuse you from telling me what the hell is going on and—" but before she could finish, Lucas grabbed her on both sides with such intense eyes.

"Thank you, Brooke. You don't know how much this means to me, and I know this was a big favor so I promise to tell you everything." He finished then pulled her into a hug which she totally didn't expect. She didn't really know what to do so she just run her hand through his back as if trying keep him at ease.

When he pulled away he still looked at her so intense, she felt conscious already. "I'm sorry I had to kiss you." He suddenly blurted out. Brooke's eyebrows furrowed. "Was it so bad you had to say sorry?" She managed to tell a joke and smiled at him as she watched him squirm. "No, it's not like that, I mean you're a good kisser, shit, did I just say that? What I mean is—" He rambled but was cut off when Brooke spoke again, this time in a laughing tone.

"It's okay Lucas, I've kissed a lot of frogs before. Besides, we had to sell our story. It's not like the kiss meant something, right?" She tells him in a silly tone and he was just truly relieved that she wasn't at the least upset about it. "So? I'm a good kisser?" She teased as she nudge him playfully then putting the elevator out of hold.

"Whatever it is you're holding in, don't worry about it now.." Brooke spoke as they waited for the elevator to reach her floor. Lucas just nodded as if consumed in his thoughts. "I just, I feel like it's hard for you to talk about it, but this thing we got ourselves into, it's pretty big, so I really need you to—" Brooke stopped speaking when she saw the blonde staring at her. "What?" She asked.

"Just thank you, and I know I told you that already, and I promise to tell you everything you to want to know, but just believe me when I say that I'm a completely different person now, and that I have a past, and I just…I didn't—" Lucas stopped when he saw Brooke nod.

"I understand, you don't have to tell me now, but you'll have to tell me at some point, okay? We don't know how long we'll do this, but when you feel you're ready to talk about it, I want you to consider telling me. Just don't worry too much. We all have our skeletons in our own closets." She finished then looked outward as the elevator door opened. The two of them walked together towards Brooke's suite, and just like she had anticipated it, Peyton, Rachel, Nathan and Haley were already waiting by the door. She felt a little relieved that there were only four of them, it's like she just confirmed that she was just truly seeing things.

Brooke had her apologetic look on, so did Lucas. The four were silent at first, thinking maybe who had to speak first, but when they all spoke at the same time, both Brooke and Lucas couldn't help but laugh. "This is so not funny." Haley told them with a glare them which caused them to stop laughing, although the glare in fact is only intended for Lucas.

"Here I thought you two were so against this idea yesterday." Rachel remarked. It seemed that the red head was the most calm of the four. She looked confused earlier, yes, but that doesn't mean she's not enjoying what's happening. "Can we just go in first and grill these two after?" Peyton suggested which got her a glare from Brooke. Nathan stifled a laugh at the blonde's suggestion and couldn't help but agree.

Just as soon as the door to Brooke's suite closed, Peyton faced her with a look. Something that tells the brunette to not make her blonde friend ask her what's going on anymore and just take the initiative to talk about it. "Ok, I know, you have a lot of questions, and we will try to answer each one of them as much as possible." Brooke started and then finished with a huff.

"This feels like de ja vu." Rachel commented while Nathan nodded in agreement while he looked over to his wife who doesn't look very much pleased. "Can you guys tell us about it now? Or do I have to beat it out of you, Lucas?" Haley asked, as the hormones acted up again, which probably caused all the mood swings.

"I'm sure you want to know why we did this, but I don't have any other answer for you guys other than that we didn't want to risk social suicide." Brooke stated simply, leaving her previous encounter with Lucas in the dark.

"Ok, this morning you were up to this. Even when this guy showed up, you were still up to it." Peyton stated as she pointed to the other blonde with a finger. "Then suddenly, you weren't anymore. What happened?" She asked which caused some eyebrows to raise.

"You're right, Brooke has nothing to do with this." Lucas defended. "I just, I don't want to risk the image I have built for myself by telling everyone that the engagement they were so thrilled about was a fake." He finished then the four were silent. "I just, we didn't want to be thrown into this situation, okay? But we were, and now we're here. We're just doing damage control, and I thought this is what's best—for now." Lucas explained and the four seemed to understand what he's talking about.

"You're right." Rachel spoke and five heads turned to her. "I mean, I was just happy to hear about Brooke dating, that I dismissed the fact that she didn't even tell me, but then I found out it wasn't true, and well, here we are." Rachel huffed. She did really felt bad about how things turned out. "Yeah, me either." Haley admitted as she blew on the hair that covered her face. "But what are you planning to do now?" Haley asked, quite intrigued about what they really have in mind.

"Honestly Hales? We have nothing." Lucas admitted and Brooke nodded in agreement. Peyton had a scowl on her face while Rachel and Nathan were just shaking their heads. "The most we have is that we pretend for a little while then break up." Brooke informed the others looking at Lucas who understood.

"That makes sense. A lot of celebrity couples break up their engagement. That could actually work." Nathan thought for a while then ended up telling them that the whole idea might not be stupid after all. "Yeah, take for example Jennifer Morrison and Chase Spencer, she had the ring but they still broke it off. Speaking of the ring, shouldn't you be wearing it?" Rachel asked because she wasn't sure if her friend was wearing it.

Brooke raised her hand and displayed the embellishment. "I still can't take it off, and by that I mean I've tried every possible way." She told the red head when she raised an eyebrow. "Well, you'll just have to worry about taking it off when you decide to break up. Which leads me to my next question, for how long are you going to do this?" Peyton was the one to ask and the two didn't know exactly what to answer.

"Maybe three months? Four? Five tops!" Brooke quizzically answered, while Lucas looked at her as if asking why. "Three isn't so short. Four is average. Five is just about time to actually back out on the marriage." She told them, which puzzled Nathan and Lucas but not the other three women.

"Okay, we don't know what you're talking about, but it sounds pretty good, so yeah. Most probably in that range." Lucas added diplomatically, then can't help but look at the phone that has been ringing the moment they arrived, but just chose to ignore.

"So where are you both going to live? I mean does Brooke move into your house Lucas? Or you move in here?" Haley asked catching the two completely off guard. "I…uh, It doesn't really have to come to that." Brooke answered nervously, she didn't see that one coming. "Yeah, a lot of engaged couples don't live together until they're married." Lucas added as he stuttered a bit about Haley's crazy ideas.

"You're kidding right? I mean, you guys don't actually think about just going back to your lives before this right? Because that life is gone, I mean, for the next three months at least." Peyton explained getting exactly what Haley is trying to say.

"What they mean is that you two are now 'BRUCAS'" Rachel explained as she quote the name in air. "There's still a Brooke and a Lucas of course, but people will always look at you now as a couple, and couples, live together. In fact you're not just a couple, because apparently, according to a newspaper I've read this morning, you're _the_ couple of our generation."

"Where the hell did BRUCAS come from Rach?" Brooke asked exasperatedly, not believing a thing her friend is saying. The red head then pointed to an entertainment article that featured the 'couple' and apparently, their new found fans had named them as BRUCAS.

"We have fans?" Lucas asked not believing what he just read, looking at Brooke who was just as surprised. "I guess someone really has to move out and move in eh?" Nathan commented, as Brooke and Lucas looked over at each other. Lucas let out a heavy sigh. "It's ok, I'll move out, I mean, move in, if it really needs to be done and if Brooke's fine with it." Lucas told all of them which really didn't surprise any of them. Besides, Peyton and Rachel knew Brooke wouldn't even think about moving out.

"Nathan! We have to go." Haley suddenly blurted out which puzzled the others except her husband. "So soon?" Lucas asked as he saw the two get up from their seats.

"Yeah Luke, sorry, but it's a doctor's appointment." Hales answered at ease again. Lucas didn't really know if he liked hormonal Haley, but it surely feels great when she's as understanding as she is now. "Me and Peyton have to go too." Rachel got up as soon as Haley and Nathan had left. To this, both Brooke and Lucas' eyebrows furrowed.

"What? One of you is pregnant and has to go on an appointment too?" Brooke asked sarcastically, hating the fact that her two friends choose to leave now. "No, we're leaving because you two, need to talk." Peyton answered and Rachel nodded in agreement as she hooked an arm to the blonde. When the two left, Brooke and Lucas fell into a comfortable silence.

"Then there were two." Brooke huffed as she offered a comforting smile to the brooding blonde. "What are you thinking about? Or are you going to tell me you're leaving too?" She joked and got a half smile from him.

"No, I was just thinking…" Lucas began when Brooke said something again. "Of course you were. I think you think too much." She told him and offered as comforting smile. "I just, I got you into this, remember? If I hadn't come here this morning then this whole fiasco would've been over by now." He told her blaming himself for how things turned out.

"You're not actually regretting what we did, are you? Because that's going to suck so bad." Brooke joked. Lucas was quite amused at her behavior actually. To be able to still joke about things despite the situation they were in. "How do you do it?" He finally asked, when he saw Brooke's eyebrows furrow, he continued. "You know, still being cool about this. Still managing to joke about everything." He told her and she just smiled at him. She was just about to answer she heard a knock on the door. "Ok, hold that thought." She told him as she left to open the door. As she swung the door open, she couldn't believe what he saw on front of her, rather who she saw. She was stunned to say the least.

"Brooke." The guy said and she didn't know what to do anymore. So immediately, when she felt she could finally moved her hands, she slammed the door shut making a loud sound.

"Brooke? What was that?" Lucas asked as he rushed to see the brunette having her back on the door. Lucas just saw her shake her head no. "Just someone still asking me about the engagement." She lied, while totally felt wrong, even though she didn't know why. "So you slammed the door?" Lucas asked not believing what the brunette had told her.

"About who moves out and then moves in, I think I'll do it." She told him in hopes that the guy she just slammed the door with doesn't bother to knock, and that Lucas just drops the subject. "No, I should be the one too, I mean, I was the one who got us into this." He told her, not really sure as to why she just suddenly decided to be the one who's going to move out. "No, I'm the woman, it's just proper. Right? And you're not the only one who got us into this. In fact, I was the one who told the press we're engaged right?" She reasoned as her heart got back to its normal beat.

"Ok, just tell me when and I'll help you move your things." Lucas told her still quite puzzled about her sudden change of mind. "Tomorrow." Brooke answered, which Lucas didn't really understand. "Excuse me, what?" He asked. "Tomorrow, I'll move in tomorrow." Brooke told him. She knew it was because of impulse, but she really couldn't face her past right now, especially when she has it knocking outside her door earlier. "B-Brooke. Are you sure?" Lucas asked with a shocked expression on his face. First was the moving in part, then now her moving in tomorrow already, everything is just moving too fast.

"Yeah, the sooner we move in, the sooner we can tell them we're having problems. The sooner we can break up." She reasoned and as Lucas heard it, he did actually thought it made sense. "Thank you Brooke." He tells her again and she gives him a half smile. "I already told you, we all have skeletons in out closets." She finished then thinking of how her own skeleton haunted her.

* * *

Okkaaayyy! I'll have to cut it there. I know, this one took longer to write, and I'm just really sorry for having a hard time putting this one up. Anyway, here are my thank yous:

**Jess – Loves forever** : I'm not sure if this reached even half of your expectations, but as much as I wanted to have them be together and still get revenge, I just don't know how to do it. So, I'm so sorry if this chapter didn't reach the bar. Anyway, thank you for your great responses and I really appreciate the support, and you having to BUMP just so I'd put up an update already. Lol. Anyway, I hope you still keep reading.

**Broodygirl**: Thanks for reviewing, and also, for informing me about that typo. If you ever saw one in here, you can tell me and it'll will be very much appreciated ( I know there are a lot of them here which I failed to see. Lol.)

**gigglingismylife:** I'm really glad you like the past chapters. Rachel really is hilarious. I've always liked her more than Peyton, even if she did cause quite a drama on the show. Lol.

**brookenlucas4eva03**: Yeah, wow! Thanks for reading and reviewing. 

**Kajal**: I glad you liked it. I made them stay together, hope that made you happy.

**othgirl12:** I'm so sorry if I wasn't able to do what you recommended. Anway, I hope you liked what I came up with. Thank you for reading and reviewing.

**toscanegirl:** I love Brooke being hilarious, and yeah, I always saw her as someone who loves to eat. Lol. Is that weird? Anyway, they stayed together. Now, you'll have to watch out if they'll fall in love. Lol. I'm kidding, of course they'll fall in love. I'm going to stop rambling now. Thanks for the review.

**silverfoxx01:** So Brooke and Lucas did go through the conference but ended up still being engaged. How did you like that? I hope I didn't disappoint you. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing.

**PeterClaire**: It is right, I mean, I always saw Brooke as someone who had the passion for eating., even though she's completely clueless about how the food reaches her plate.

**Brooke D.:** Yeah, Brooke doesn't really know anything about cooking. That's why she burned the pie. Lol. Thanks for reviewing.

**LeaCharmedOne:** So, how was it? I mean, was it worth the wait? I'm sorry for having to make you wait. Thank you for reviewing though.

**ILoveYouTooPrettyGirl:** So that was the update. Did you like it? I know brucas aren't on the lovey dovey part yet, but we'll get to that. I'm not sure if I actually got the conference process right. Oh well, anyways. Thank you for reviewing.

**wildb3rry:** I'm glad you enjoyed it. Of course I'm going to keep writing! Just keep the reviews coming. Lol. I really really appreciate you guys taking time to say what you think about what I wrote.

**sweetchristie03:** I'm glad you found the last chapter interesting. Thank you for reviewing by the way. SO how about this one? Are you still interested or was it too predictable?

**B.Nguyen:** Glad you liked it. I hope you keep reading. Thank you for reviewing.

**Brooke6404:** I'm glad you like it.

**psiek**: I'm glad you liked the past chapters. I'm so sorry for making you wait. Lol. Thank you for reviewing. They chickened out, I guess that one was pretty predictable eh? BRUCAS!! Haha. Crazy, crazy.

**TypoKween:** Let me just say first that I am thrilled just by seeing you reviewed. I mean, I read your stories and I was just like, WOW! Just, thank you really. I hope you keep reading.

**erika x3:** I'm sorry I wasn;t able to give my thank yous for the first chapter. Anyway, thank you for taking time to read and review. I hpe you keep reading.

**azmar**: Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you liked it.

To everyone who gave this a read, a **BIG,** **BIG** thank you. You've just made me really, really happy! I mean it!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** So I'm sure you're pretty much disappointed that I updated so late again. I'm so sorry, but life just got in the way, and I didn't have time to finish and polish everything. So, here it is. Thank Yous are at the bottom.

**Title:** Dinner Turned Engagement

**Chapter4:** Pretension Isn't So Bad

For the fifth time that week and for two weeks now, Brooke had woken up to an unfamiliar surrounding. Her walls weren't purple, nor were they accented by flowers. Neither was there a painting of the French Riviera. There wasn't a dresser with a mirror on it. Instead, the walls were colored peach, and even though there was a painting of some sort, it wasn't as beautiful as the one Peyton had painted for her. The bed, although soft didn't feel as comfortable as her old one, neither did the pillows smell like the one she was used to.

She pushed every wrong detail in the back of her mind when she heard someone knock on the door, which by the way wasn't red but white. She then sees a blonde head peeking through. "Hey, did I wake you?" Lucas asks with half a smile on his face, looking at her still covered in sheets.

"No, I'm up. I just didn't feel like getting up yet." She answers as she propped her elbows up, giving him a smile, dimples and all. The sheets fall from her chest revealing her frame which looked so smooth under a very elegant night gown.

"Okay." Lucas cleared his throat tearing his eyes from her, and then continued. "Anyway, I just came to tell you breakfast is ready and that you can get some if you want." He tells her, still not allowing himself to enter the room.

"You can come in, you know?" Brooke says teasingly. Even though they had known each other for an extremely short time, she already felt comfortable around him. "I mean, this is your house. I'm just practically staying over." Her voice turning out to be sarcastic.

Lucas' eyebrows furrowed with what she said. He thought she was really okay with the arrangement. Before he realizes what's happening, Brooke already starts apologizing. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out the way it did." Brooke told him as she bit her bottom lip. She even covered her face with a blanket.

Lucas' frown turns into a smile. The brunette just looked all too adorable for him to even be upset. "I'm really sorry it had to come to this." He tells her as he finally steps into the room, taking a seat at the edge of the bed. When she took the blankets off of her face, she had a half smile on, and then nodded at Lucas telling him it's really nothing to worry about. Her face then turns into a frown. One you couldn't possibly miss. So when Lucas saw the change in expression, he had to ask. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Brooke just shook her head. "It's just that…do you know that every morning since I moved in here, you always come get me for breakfast? And also, before you leave, you always say sorry like everything is your fault, when it's not." She told him truthfully, and Lucas couldn't appreciate her words more.

"Well, I just want to make sure my guests are properly accommodated." Lucas tells her in a silly tone as he slightly tipped his head sideways as if thinking of something. Brooke chuckled a bit with his attempt at humor, then shaking her head with a smile on her lips. "Anyway, like I said, breakfast is served." Lucas continued as he got up from the bed and walked towards the door, but before he left he added, "You wouldn't want it cold."

Brooke then got up from her bed with a content face on. She heaved a sigh of relief, and tried to think as positively as she could. So maybe waking up to a totally unfamiliar bedroom for the next three months or so wouldn't be so bad. At least she wasn't alone on mornings, and that someone actually calls her for breakfast. That's a good thing, right?

An hour later, Lucas had his apron on and started making chocolate chip pancakes. Just then, Brooke walks into his kitchen wearing a white ruffled top and high waist slacks. He was sure he called her for breakfast, so in a disappointed tone, he had to ask, "Are you leaving?" He turned his glance from her to the pancakes then back again.

Brooke's face turns into a light color of red. "Actually, I was looking for something to eat." She admits as she focused her glance on the ground. She then waves a hand at him, "But it's okay, I'll just pick something up on my way to work." She continues, a bit embarrassed to be looking for food now, when he had called her earlier for breakfast, and then pointing towards his garage where her car was parked.

"Actually, breakfast got cold." He starts off with a tight lipped smile, and then continues. "So, I decided, I'd just make you my favorite." He says as he broke into a grin as he finished cooking another set of pancakes. When she didn't reply, he asked. "Are you running late?"

Brooke shakes her head no, and then raising an eyebrow as he saw him serve four pancakes in a plate and placed them in front of her. "Then you should have those." Lucas told her as he pointed to his cooking. "No, you made those for yourself. So, I'm just going go and pick something up on my way to work." Brooke tells him and Lucas couldn't help but take a little offense. First he called her for breakfast, which then ended up getting cold. Then he decided he'd cook her pancakes, and now she's making him eat all of them?

"Not a fan of pancakes, I guess?" He asks her as he glanced at her with a questioning look; Brooke just offered him an apologetic look. Lucas knew no one had ever resisted his pancakes before, so, what makes Brooke Davis any different?

"No, it's really nice of you to do all these—" She stopped when she noticed Lucas giving her a look as he sat across her. "Oh, fine. I'll eat." Her eyes grew wider as she took the fork Lucas held out to her. "But I don't think I can eat all these, I'm not that hungry." She warned him and started to dig in.

He couldn't help but to stare at her as she took a bite, watching out for any reaction. Somehow, he felt like he wanted to please her. So when no particular reaction happened, he couldn't help but ask, "So? Is it good?" Brooke looked at him and answered nonchalantly, "its fine" and then started chewing again. After finishing the whole plate and a cup of coffee, Brooke breaks into a grin confusing the blonde.

"Do I have something on my face?" Lucas asks and Brooke just smiles as she shakes her head no. "You do realize that you've been watching me eat the whole time, right?" She teased which made Lucas squirm a bit. "You barely touched your food." She continued, and then glanced at her watch.

"Well, it just fascinates me, how you're going about not really being hungry earlier when clearly, you are." Lucas teased back as he pointed to her now empty plate. Brooke's eyes grew wide at his words. "Lucas Scott!" Brooke hissed playfully, as if offended by him. "Brooke Davis." He says in reply, mimicking her tone.

A comfortable silence sets in, and Lucas finished setting the dishes in the dishwasher when Brooke spoke. "Well, I should be going, and thanks for breakfast." Brooke turned around and started to walk away, but stopped when he said, "I'll drive you." She looked at him, and cocked an eyebrow. "What?" He asks.

She slightly tipped her head sideways, as if wondering, and then a smile crossed her lips. "You really don't have to do that. I drive by myself all the time." She tells him, not wanting to be a burden to him, and to let him know it's not his responsibility. "I know, but I want to. Plus, it'll be good for the press." He tells her with a smile, and she just nods, because if she was being honest, stilettos and driving don't exactly match.

Lucas pulled over his car at the lobby of Brooke's office building. He was shocked when he realized Brooke's lips crashing into his. All movement felt slow as confusion crept in. "What was that for?" He asked when she pulled away just mere seconds after their lips touched. "For breakfast." She started, "But mostly, for the guy that's holding a camera outside." She informs him with a wide smile, then opened the door and stepped outside. Lucas' confusion becomes clear as he felt the slightest of stings when he heard Brooke say it was just mostly for the camera.

Brooke walked in to her office to see her petite assistant rushing to her. "Did I get any important calls while I wasn't here?" She asked, still walking towards her office.

"A lot came from reporters who called you yesterday." Millicent answered, to this Brooke wasn't surprised. She just nodded her head and continued walking. "Also, Oprah called and wanted to schedule an interview with you and your fiancée." To this, Brooke stopped dead on her tracks and looked seriously at Millicent.

"What did you say? Because I think I just heard you say Oprah called?" Brooke asked beginning to get excited, but still shocked from what she had heard.

"Don't worry, I had the same reaction when I realized she wasn't kidding that it's her." Millicent shared and Brooke just gave her a look. "Oh yes, Oprah, as in Oprah Winfrey, diamond covered birthday cake. Yeah, her." Millicent added and Brooke looked to her like she wanted to jump in joy. "She said if you're free next week she would really love to have you. So, should I call them for the schedule?"

"Yes! Of course!" She answers excitedly, then after a few seconds, her face falls as a realization hits her. "I mean no, not yet. I'll have to talk to Lucas first." She tells Millicent, seemingly oblivious as to why Oprah Winfrey would want her in her talk show with Lucas Scott.

"Oh, okay. Brooke, but—"Millicent nervously said as Brooke opened the door to her office, only to see Victoria Davis sitting leisurely on the couch. "Your mother is waiting for you." She continued when Brooke turned to face her with a questioning look.

"It's okay Millie, you can go now. We have some things to talk about." Brooke said giving Millicent an understanding look, which brought relief a sigh of relief to the petite girl. As soon as Millicent was gone and the door was closed, Brooke felt the need of an explanation from her mother. "Why are you and dad doing this?" She hisses as she realized her day is already ruined.

"Oh, Brooke, honey. Don't you understand, we only want what's best for you." Victoria told her, and Brooke was just tired of it. Every time her parents do something to her without her knowledge, it has always been their excuse. "How is a fixed engagement the best for me mother?! Because take it from me, it isn't." She tells her quite hatefully, but Victoria just shrugs.

"Oh, don't worry honey. I'm sure everything will workout just fine." Victoria explains as if fixed marriages were the most normal thing in the 21st century. "Your father will be thrilled to know that everything is working out aright." Victoria continued and Brooke's jaw almost dropped.

"Didn't you hear anything I said?" She asks in an exasperated tone. When it was clear that her mother wasn't going to say something else, she continues. "Do it is that you want to do, but I want you to know, I'm not going to marry some guy you picked for me because you think he's what's best for me." She tells her as she looked at her straight in the eye.

Just then, Victoria prepared to leave with a smirk on. Something Brooke didn't want to see, because every time she sees her mother with it on, she ends up doing what they tell her. "I hate my life!" She says in frustration. Just then, Millicent comes in. "Brooke, there's a delivery for you." She tells the brunette as a delivery guy comes in, flowers in hand. First to come were a mixture of red and white roses. Millicent just smiled at the thought while Brooke froze at the sight. The guy then goes back out, only to enter bringing the whitest of tulips.

"Can you sign here please." The delivery guy instructed, bringing Brooke out of her trance. She took the pen and signed it; feeling like air was just knocked out of her. When the guy left, she felt she needed to seat. "Aren't you going to check who it's from?" Millicent couldn't help but ask as she marveled at the beautiful arrangement before her. "I already know." She muttered under her breath as her shoulders fell. As it did, memories from before came flooding back to her.

"_Red and white roses? Why?" Brooke asked as she admired the beautiful arrangement. "No particular reason." He shrugs and the brunette just eyes him with a look. "Well, because I heard that red roses meant passionate love, and the white ones, mean purity." He tells her and she breaks into the widest of smiles. "And I realize, that describes my love for you." He tells her, and was rewarded by a kiss._

"_I love you." She tells him as she smiled into his lips. "I love you too." He replies, and in that moment, Brooke felt nothing else mattered; she was in love, and to her, that's what's important._

"_I can't believe you missed it." Brooke says in an angry tone, trying to push back the tears. "No, I can't believe you forgot about it." She cried as she poked him in the chest. "Please don't cry, Brooke. I didn't forget it." He tried to calm her. This wasn't how he pictured it, things just got in the way so his surprise got a little delayed._

"_I'm sorry, our trip came in late, and I needed to put up all this stuff, and it got delayed. Please don't cry." He apologized as Brooke gazed at his fully decorated room, wherein a large banner was hanging, reading "Happy Birthday Brooke" in large letters and under it were a few sentences that could still be read even from a few feet away. "I love you, and you're the best thing that ever happened to me." It said, and Brooke just continued crying._

"_Please stop crying. I'm sorry you thought I forgot." He tells her as he kisses her hair. "I love you." She just says, as tears of disappointment were replaced with tears of joy. "These are for you." He walks in then grabbing a bouquet of flowers. "Red and White roses." Brooke took notice as a big smile crosses her lips and he just nodded, "and white tulips?" She asks._

"_Yes, I knew I was going to be a little late, so I had them put white tulips, they mean forgiveness. I hope you forgive me." He tells her then handing her the bouquet. When Brooke had it in her hands she took out a single white tulip and held it out to him. "Here, I forgive you." She tells him with a dimpled smile, as he enveloped her in a tight embrace. "I love you Brooke Davis." He tells her as his nose grazed hers. "I love you too Chase Adams."_

She tried to blink back the tears, she didn't know how long she was staring blankly, but maybe it was long enough for Millicent to notice. "Brooke? Are you okay?" Her assistant asked as she was brought out to her thoughts. "Yes, of course, why wouldn't I be?" She put a brave face on and got up from her chair, then towards the delicately arranged flowers. "They're beautiful." Millicent told her, and she just nodded. There was a card for each of the arrangements. She went to the roses first. It read:

My feelings for you haven't changed.  
I still miss you, _everyday_.

It was a lot to take in. There wasn't a name placed on it, but she already knew who it's from, and that kind of scares her, especially when she hasn't talked to the one who sent them for four years already, and still has tha effect on her. She then moved over to the white tulips, and she couldn't help but smile at their beauty. She flipped the card open, where it read:

I didn't hope for things to end up the way they did.  
I'm sorry for ever hurting you, I hope someday,  
You could find it in your heart to forgive me

After reading those words, that's when she felt pain creeping into her. The feeling she had managed to bury for a long time now, the feeling that makes her to just want to cry and question everything about her because it just hurts too damn much. But she doesn't let it happen, a lot has changed in four years and she's not as vulnerable as she was before.

Or maybe, that's just what she wants to tell herself. "Do you want me to put them on a vase?" Millicent asked bringing her out of her thoughts again. She shakes her head no, and maybe there was something that Millicent saw which made her think the brunette needed her space. She left the confines of her boss' office, a little worried with her unusual behavior.

Lucas was still crazed about what had happened earlier. It was a total surprise in his part, and if he was being honest, to him, it felt so real, only, it really didn't. "It was just a peck. Just a peck. It's a normal thing. You thank someone; you give them a peck on the lips!" He tried to reason with himself, saying every word out loud as he sat alone in his car. He grunted, then hitting his head on the wheel. He then hears his phone ring.

"Hey Nate, what's up?" He greets him casually, nothing really hitting his realization as to why he's calling. Besides, his brother calls him on a regular basis, so it's really nothing unexpected. "What do you mean what's up? Practice was thirty minutes ago! Where are you?" Nathan asks him irritated; besides it wasn't like him to miss practice anyway. "Oh shoot. I totally forgot. I drove Brooke to her office." He tells his brother who did sound all too pleased.

"Whatever man, just get your ass down here. Coach's getting angry." Nathan ordered. "Do you have any extra shoes?" Lucas asked and Nathan couldn't believe he's asking him that right now. "What? How could you be thinking about that now?"Nathan asks irritated again. "I don't have my things with me. Do you have any?" Lucas asks and when he heard his brother say yes, he drives to their home court dressed with pants and a polo shirt.

Lucas arrived at practice to see his team mates almost dying. They were a team, and if someone makes a mistake, everyone else suffers. That's the one rule coach Isaiah gave them, and he always made sure as hell it is followed.

"Lucas Scott! Suicides! Now!" That's the first thing he heard when he entered the court. He hasn't even changed his clothes. He was wearing slip ons, and their coach is expecting him to do suicides? But instead of complaining, he just obeyed. Three hours later, breathing seems to be a little harder for everyone, and their clothes were all soaked in sweat.

"We have a game tomorrow night. Now, I expect you boys to get as much rest as you can tonight. No partying, no drinking. I want to win, and I'm sure you do to, just make sure you don't do anything foolish tonight. One's mistake is everyone else's." Coach Isaiah told them and then they were dismissed.

"I can't believe he made me run in this!" Lucas stifled a laugh as he looked at himself in the mirror. "Just be thankful that's all he did. You could still be running out there if we didn't have a game tomorrow." Nathan told him as he patted him on the back. "I guess." He replies then shrugs.

"So how's living with Brooke?" Nathan asked as casually as he could, but Lucas saw right through it. "Are you sure you're the one who wants to know? Or Haley just made you ask that?" Lucas asked as Nathan just rolled his eyes. "What? I can't know what's going on in your life now?" He says as if taking offense, but Lucas knew better. "God, you're whipped." Lucas teased, and Nathan just waved a hand at him.

"So? Are you going to tell me, or do I just bring Haley there all by myself?" Nathan threatened, knowing how Lucas dreaded that right now. Sure, Lucas loves Haley, she's his best friend, but her being pregnant and hormonal is a different story altogether.

"It's okay. I mean, it's pretty much the same, the only difference is I cook for two people now, which is a good thing. I mean, I get to have company on mornings. It's not that bad actually." Lucas told Nathan with a pretty content smile on his face. Nathan nodded and realized that maybe what happened wasn't so bad after all.

"So is she coming to the game tomorrow?" Nathan asked, to that Lucas never really had a particular answer. "I don't know, I haven't asked her yet, maybe if she doesn't have anything to do." He tells his brother who just nodded again. "Well, it'll be good if she comes. The team is actually looking forward to meeting her, hell, even coach is." Nathan shared which made Lucas tense a bit.

"They are?" He asked and his brother just nodded. "Hell yeah, that's the first thing the guys asked me this morning. Don't worry, they'll probably like Brooke." Nathan shared, and Lucas couldn't help feel a little lucky, in their eyes of course, Brooke Davis is his fiancée. "Of course, I mean, what's not to like, right?"

"So, where are you headed now?" Nathan asked as he carried his bad on one shoulder and both of them walked out of the court seeing coach Isaiah, as if waiting for the two of them. "I don't know, back home, I guess. Hey Coach." Lucas told Nathan then turning to their coach who was sitting by the bench.

"So, are we going to win tomorrow?" Coach Isaiah asked eyeing both of them. "I'm pretty confident that we will." Nathan answered with attitude, and Lucas nodded in agreement. "So Lucas, are you bringing your fiancée tomorrow?" Coach Isaiah asked, turning his attention to the blonde, who looked surprised by the question. "Uh, sure coach. She'll be here." He answers hastily, not realizing what he just got himself into. "Well, I'll see both of you tomorrow then." He tells them and walks towards the locker room.

"I thought you haven't asked Brooke to the game?" Nathan asked wondering about Lucas' answer. That's when he froze. "I haven't." He says deadpan. Nathan couldn't stifle a laugh, earning a glare from the older Scott. "This isn't funny." He tells him as he paced around the parking lot. "Come on, it was a little funny." Nathan replied and continued laughing. "What are you going to do now?" Nathan asked as he shook his head. "I guess I'll just have to ask Brooke a favor?" Lucas replied, his eyebrows furrowing.

He went straight home to shower and change into clean clothes. It was a quarter past four when he arrived at Brooke's office. He walked in seeing people doing their own jobs. He then notices a curly brunette wearing eyeglasses approach him. "Excuse me, how may I help you sir?" She asked as he looked up to the blonde. "Uh, I'm here to see Brooke Davis, I mean, just Brooke." Lucas stuttered, not really used to the environment Brooke is working in.

"Do you have an appointment?" The girl asked him, and honestly he almost laughed. He figured she wasn't a basketball fan, because if she was, then she should've recognized him, right? Either that or she hates the Knicks. "No, I don't have one, but—" He stopped when he heard someone gasp "Oh my God, it's Lucas Scott." He then turned to face the source and smiled at her, then turning his attention back to the curly blonde.

"Oh my God, you're Lucas, Brooke's Lucas. I'm so sorry." The curly blonde panicked, as she practically sent her boss' fiancée away. "It's okay, I should've called first." Lucas told her which relieved her a bit. "Thank you, anyway, I'm Millicent, Brooke's assistant." Millicent told him and he figured that with the first name basis, the two are close. "Oh, it's nice to finally meet you; Brooke's told me so much about you." Lucas lied. So maybe, that in fact is a lie, but there too is a great possibility that Brooke talks about her employees, right?

"Really?" Millicent asked in excitement, and Lucas just nodded with a smile. "Oh right, I'm sorry, but Brooke has an interview with Vogue. I could tell her you're here if you want?" She offered and Lucas was still a bit hesitant. "Nah, I think I'll just sit here and wait." He replies then taking the couch just outside Brooke's office. "Can I get you anything, coffee, soda…?" Millicent asked and Lucas nodded. "Coffee would be nice."

Thirty minutes later, Lucas was still waiting outside Brooke's office finishing four B. Davis magazines already. "Your magazine is pretty good." He says trying to make conversation with Millicent who was busy doing something on the computer. "It is. It just doesn't cater to women, but to men as well." Millicent replied. Talk about PR. Lucas just nodded and scanned more pages. "They'll probably be out soon." Millicent told the blonde, giving him a sympathetic look. "I hope so." Lucas replied and they both laugh slightly. "The flowers you sent are really nice." Millicent told him and he was just confused, _I didn't send any flowers._ He thought to himself. "Uh, thanks? I guess." He replies and shrugs.

Just then Brooke comes out of her office with two people, a girl who looked slightly older than them, and another was a guy, who in Lucas' words, definitely takes dressing up seriously. She wouldn't have probably noticed his presence until Millicent eyed Brooke then shifted her glance to him. The two people then followed and got excited when they saw him.

"Lucas, what are you doing here?" Brooke asked surprised to see him there, and then approached him to greet him with a kiss on the cheek. "I wanted to talk to you about something." He whispers in her ear and she just nods. "Anyway, let me introduce you to this nice people." Brooke began. "This are Andy and David, they're from Vogue." Brooke introduced, "Guys, this is my fiancée, Lucas Scott." They all shook hands and the two gushed, in which Lucas then found out that David is gay.

"We really had a nice time with you Brooke. It was nice meeting you Lucas." Andy said as she and David prepared to leave. "Good luck with your game tomorrow." David chipped in. Lucas nodded and thanked them. "It was nice meeting you too." With that, the two left. "Anyway, this is my assistant Millicent." Brooke introduced again. "Uh, yeah, we've met earlier." Lucas said and Millicent smiled nervously. "She actually kept me company, while I was waiting." He added and Brooke smiled. Millicent had proved to be a great asset and friend to her.

"Thanks Mill." Brooke told her in which she replied, "It's nothing. I'm just doing my job" with a big smile on her face. Brooke and Lucas then went in to Brooke's office to talk. Upon entering, Lucas couldn't help but notice the flowers on one side of her office. "Nice flowers." Lucas hinted as soon as he was seated. He saw Brooke stiffen a bit at the mention of them, but shrugged it off. "Millicent thinks they're from me." He continued.

"Lucas—" She tried to speak, but he didn't give her the chance to. "I know, it's not my business. I just, I know we just knew each other a weeks ago, and we don't really know a lot about each other, but if you need to talk, you can come to me. We all have our skeletons in our closets, right?" He finished using the same words she had told him. She nodded, understanding what he's trying to say.

"So, now that we got that out of the way, I need to ask you something." Lucas began and Brooke eyed him playfully. "Uh-oh. That doesn't usually turn out good." She jokes and they both laugh a little. "Seriously, what is it?" Brooke continued. "Well, we have a game tomorrow, and I was wondering if you'd like to come." He tells her, and Brooke didn't answer yet, so he continued. "I mean, that's just if you like, if you don't then that's fine too. I mean if you're free, that would be great, but if you're not—" He stopped when Brooke cut him off. "Lucas. I'd love to." She said with a smile. Lucas had a glint of happiness in his eyes. He didn't know why, but it just made him happy.

"Is that all?" Brooke asked and Lucas just nodded. "Can I bring Rachel and Peyton?" She asked again and his smile just grew even wider. "That would be great. I'm sure Haley would love the company." He tells her as she clapped her hands, pleased to be watching basketball tomorrow. "It's been a long time since I've been to a basketball game." Brooke told him feeling a little nostalgic. "So I guess I'll just see you at your house?" Brooke says and Lucas knew it was his cue to leave, but somehow, something urged him to ask. "Aren't you leaving yet?" He says and Brooke just shook her head no.

"I still need to finish some sketches; it might take me quite a while." She explains and he just nods. "Can I stay?" He asks and Brooke's eyebrows furrowed. "What?" Lucas asked with a shy smile on his face. "You really don't have to do all those things that you're doing." Brooke tells him, making sure he knows she appreciates everything he's done. "I know, but I want to." He replies and she just rolls her eyes. "So, can I stay?" He asks again. "Just don't tell me I didn't warn you when you end up boring yourself." Brooke says in a playful tone as Lucas just nodded with a content smile.

Three hours later, Brooke was finally finished, and Lucas was playing with his keys. Millicent had left about two hours ago, and Brooke thinks they're the only two people left in the office. Her clock already read 8:57 pm. "I'm so sorry, it took me so long." Brooke apologized as locked up, Lucas beside her. "It's okay. I insisted on staying, remember? Now I know quite a while for a designer meant three hours." He teased and Brooke's face falls. "Hey, I was just kidding." He tells her to be met by a smiling face.

"I'm starving." Brooke tells him as she got into his car. "I think we should just do take out. I don't think I'll be able to cook." Lucas informs her and she couldn't help but feel a little bad about it. "I'm sorry." She tells him again. "Hey, the next time you say sorry, I might kiss you." He meant for it to come as a joke, but ended up being awkward. Good thing he knew how to deal with awkward. "So I think we should just get Chinese." He suggests, and Brooke just nodded. "I second that."

It was already a quarter before ten when they arrived at Lucas' house. Lucas gave Brooke the keys to his house and told her to go on with the food as he locks up. Five minutes later, he walks into the kitchen to see Brooke still waiting for him. "I told you to go eat already." He tells her taking a seat across her. "It's fine. It was just another five minutes." Brooke tells him handing him a pair of chopsticks. "Dig in." Lucas instructed and they both did.

"I'm so full." Brooke whined as she rubbed her belly, Lucas stifling a laugh. "This is so not funny." She tells him when she saw a smirk on his face. "It's a little funny." He replies, chuckling a bit, Brooke laughing with him a bit. "Okay, it was a little funny." Brooke told Lucas as he got up from his seat and started cleaning up. "You should rest, I'm sure you're tired." He tells her, putting the Chinese boxes into the trash can.

Brooke couldn't agree with him more, so as much as she wanted to help him clean up, she just nods, but not before thanking him. "Thank you Lucas." She began and he just waved a hand at her. "No, I mean, you don't have to do all these things but you do them anyways, and I just want you to know, I appreciate it." Lucas smiles at her appreciating her words. "You're welcome. Good night Brooke." He simply replies, and with that, Brooke goes to her room. "Good night Lucas."

Not long after that, Lucas finds himself lying on his bed assessing the day he had. To him, it had been pretty eventful. Brooke kissed him, twice, both of them she didn't mean. He had practice wearing a polo shirt and pants, which had never happened before. Also, he became acquainted with Brooke's work environment, which to him, appeared to be really stressful, but aside from everything, he also found out, that she too, had a past, and like him, wasn't really ready to face it yet. He drifted off to sleep as he thought how surprised he was when she kissed him.

The next morning, Brooke woke up to the same unfamiliar room again, but she felt something changed. It didn't feel as uncomfortable as it did the first few days. Somehow she thinks she's getting used to it. She glances at the clock which reads 9:43 am. Slowly, she got up and went to the bathroom. She did notice something though, Lucas hadn't called her for breakfast, and somehow she felt bad. She just shrugged the feeling off and stepped into the shower. Thirty minutes later, she's in her robe when she hears a knock. She sees the blonde head peek through, just like she had for the past week, and she couldn't help but smile.

"Breakfast is ready." Lucas called then looking surprised when he didn't saw Brooke in bed. "I'm here." She says when she sees his confused face. He then turns toward the direction of her voice to see her in only a robe. He had to clear his throat to speak. "Uh, breakfast is ready." He says again. "Yeah, I heard." She teases playfully. After telling him he can come in yesterday, he still hasn't changed his ways and refused to step into the room. "I'll just wait for you downstairs." With that, he closed the door, not even letting the brunette reply.

Five minutes later, Lucas saw Brooke emerging from the stair wearing only an over sized shirt and a pair of shorts with her hair falling loosely on her shoulders; he couldn't help but gulp at the sight. _If only we were in a different situation_, he thought to himself. "You're early." He said as soon as she reached the table, and he was pulling out a chair for her. "Thanks." She told him, and then when he nodded, she continued. "I promised myself not to let breakfast get cold again, until I'm here, of course." She says jokingly, and he agrees by nodding.

"So we're having bacon and eggs?" Brooke says as she saw the platter in front of her. "Yeah, I kind of woke up late, so I really didn't have the time—" Lucas apologized again and Brooke gave him a look. "What?" He asked. It seemed like he did that a lot since she moved in. "It's just that every morning someone apologizes, either you or me. I mean, you cooked me breakfast, you shouldn't apologize, and instead I should thank you. Right?" Brooke asked him and he nodded getting the logic behind it.

After breakfast, Brooke is the first to stand up, getting a questioning look from Lucas. "What are you doing?" Lucas asked as Brooke began to grab the plates and started cleaning up. "Oh sorry, aren't you finished?" She asked putting down his plate. "No, I'm done. I mean, what are you doing?" He asked again, and Brooke gives him a dimpled smile. "I'm cleaning up. It's about time I get useful around here." She replies and grabs his plate again. "You don't have to do that." Lucas replies, grabbing the other plates and she just eyes him.

"Of course I do. I should learn these things you know. Otherwise, it'll be a disaster in my house when I get married." She says jokingly, not realizing what she just said. "Oh." Was Lucas' first reaction, but he managed to say more. "So you worked out things with him?" He asks after getting the need to. Brooke places the plates on the counter and looks at him seriously. "What did you say?" She asks and he doesn't know how to answer.

"I—" He tried to apologize, but Brooke's phone started ringing. "Hello?" She answered it, leaving Lucas just standing there. He just then moved onto cleaning the dishes and cursing himself for ever bothering to ask about her personal past life. When he was finished he leaves the kitchen only to find Brooke sitting on the couch in his living room. "Brooke…" His voice almost breaks, which he didn't know why, considering they're not even that close.

"I'm sorry." They both mutter at the same time, and as their eyes meet, both develop the smallest of smiles in their faces. "I…It's none of my business, and I shouldn't have asked." He continued and she nodded. "I'm sorry for not being able to tell you _yet. _But for what it's worth, I want to, I just—" She would continue, but he had finished the statement for her. "Find it hard to talk about it. I know, I feel the same." He says and she smiles because of the fact that he does understand.

"See, I was right. We haven't broken our record. We both still apologize." Brooke says with a silly grin. "Well, tomorrow we'll try." Lucas added and she smiles at the idea. "Anyway, are Peyton and Rachel coming?" He asks and she stands up from the couch with a nod. "Actually, it was Rachel who called, just confirming if we're still on." She informs him and he just smiles. "Haley would really love to have company." He adds and Brooke was just looking forward to meeting her again.

"Anyway, I kind of have to leave early, so I won't be able to drop you off at your office, so…" His voice drifts off when he sees her nod. "That's okay. I called Millie earlier, told her I won't be in today." She tells him and his face goes from happy to worried. "Why, are you okay? Is something wrong?" He asks and she shakes her head no, quite amazed with the care he's showing. She shakes her head no. "I have some things to do. You really don't have to worry." She tells him and he gives her a half smile.

"We're really doing great with this whole pretend thing, aren't we?" Lucas says out of the blue and Brooke just gives him a nod. "It's not so bad for me, you know. I get to have company on mornings, and eat with someone at breakfast." He tells her and she gives him a grateful smile. "I know what you mean. Like, now, someone actually calls me for breakfast. Everything isn't so bad huh?" She says and he smiles, a very genuine one. "Yeah."

"So what's your jersey number again?" She asks from out of nowhere, which kind of confused him. "Uh, Three. Why?" He answers as he cocked an eyebrow at her. "Nothing. Anyway, what time are you leaving?" She asks again, which intrigued him more. "Uh, after I get ready?" He wasn't sure if that was the answer she wanted. "Okay. I'll try to get ready real fast." She tells him as she speeds up to her room, leaving him confused. "Okay?"

Thirty minutes later Brooke was ready wearing an oversized green printed top and a pair of white shorts, plus a pair of green flat strappy sandals on. When she went to the living room, she was surprised to see Lucas as if waiting for her already. "You're done?" She asked, quite amazed. "Uh, yeah." He replies as he scratched his head. He took in the sight in front of him, and it won't take a fashion expert to say that Brooke Davis looked nice, not scratch that, she looked beautiful. "So, do I look okay?" Brooke asked as she turned around to let him see the whole outfit. "You look beautiful." He replies, and she is pleased with his answer.

"So, where are you going?" He asks as he lifted his bag on his shoulder. He also noticed that Brooke and him had a good height ratio. "I just need to pick up some things." She grins and then notices the shirt he's wearing. "Can I get one like that in the mall?" She asks as she points onto his white shirt where the logo of the Knicks was printed. "Uh, yeah. Any sports apparel store, I think?" He answers as they both reach the garage.

"So, do they also personalize it?" She asks again, then pointing to the name printing at the back where it read: L. Scott. "Oh, I'm not sure." He replies and she just nods, and then inserts the key to her car as he opened the gate. "I'll just see you at the game." She says and with that, she drives away. Lucas couldn't help but smile, he realized Brooke Davis is definitely a cut above the rest, and then he wished they were at different circumstances.

"So, tell me about living with the hot blonde, and by that I don't mean Peyton here." Rachel smirked as she pointed to her friend beside her who just rolled her eyes. Brooke didn't reply as she examined the fabric in front of her. It was until Rachel nudged her that she entertained the question. "He's really nice." She answers shortly. Of course, Rachel couldn't accept something like that, she needed details. "Okay, so define nice." The red head followed up while Peyton just silently listened, a smirk on her face.

"He wakes me up and calls me for breakfast, drives me to work, let's me eat Chinese, that kind of nice." She tells her friend effortless. "Aren't you a seňorita." Peyton chirped in, in which Brooke gave her a small smile. "It's pretty good actually. I get to have company on mornings." She told them as she moved from fabric to fabric, looking for the perfect one.

"And you get to have free tickets to games too." Rachel added which Peyton would have to agree. No matter how much they refuse to admit it, they do miss their cheerleading days, watching as teams win and lose. "And kisses too." Rachel added, to this, Brooke had to turn to her and give her a look. "They don't mean anything." She tells the red head and both Peyton and Rachel just shrug. "If that's your story." Peyton replied.

"Okay, thanks for coming with me." Brooke turned to face her two friends who just rolled their eyes at her. "Hey, we're just happy you're bringing us to the game with you." Peyton shrugged and Rachel nodded. "Anyway, I still have to pick up something, here are your tickets and I'll just meet you there?" Brooke squinted her eyes at her two friends who caught glances at each other first before nodding. "Alright, we'll see you later." Rachel replied as she snatched the tickets from her hand and they all kissed each other goodbye, and went separate ways.

An hour later, Brooke finds herself in a FUBU store, looking for Knick shirts. She then sees a blue, a white and an orange one. Different names were printed at the back, but none of them having it plain. So when she didn't find any, she decided to ask the clerk. "Excuse me, do you have these shirts in plain back?" She asks as she raised the blue ladies tee she's holding. When the clerk answered no, she just nodded her head and decided to get one in particular.

"Okay boys, I expect you to do your best tonight. If we win this game, our chances of getting into the finals go higher. N.Y. Knicks on three!" Coach Isaiah ordered. "One, two, three, N.Y. Knicks!" Everyone's voice boomed with determination, and prepared for the coming game. "So, is Brooke coming?" Nathan asked as soon as everyone went their own way. "Uh, yeah. She's also bringing Peyton and Rachel with her." Lucas informed and Nathan nodded, quite pleased.

"So I read the newspaper this morning, there was a picture of you and her kissing. Looked pretty real." Nathan hinted, as if asking his older brother if there is anything going on. "Yeah, she saw a guy with a camera, thought it wouldn't be improper if she doesn't give her fiancée and goodbye kiss. Didn't mean anything." He continued trying to sound as casual as possible, Nathan just shrugged. "Let's win a game." Lucas says out of the blue then ran out of the locker room.

When their team emerged, just like any other game, the crown cheered, only this time he had Brooke with him. Lucas' smile became wider when he saw her wearing the blue version of the shirt he had worn earlier. He had to shake his head in amusement when he saw her turn her back, only for him to see his name printed on it. "Man, your girl is _hot_." Tim told him with a pleased look as they jogged towards the courtside. He had to shake his head at Tim's words, and then turned to look at Brooke again who was all smiles. He then realizes that Tim is right.

"Okay, I need all of you to focus now. I especially mean you Lucas." Coach Isaiah started and which a lot of the boys laughed as they knew about Brooke's presence. "Now, just pass the ball around and keep shooting three's first. Garnett is bigger than Nathan so we need to focus on outside shooting. Got it?" Coach Isaiah finished and everyone nodded. Nathan got what he meant and he totally understands. "Okay, N.Y. Knicks on three. One, two, three." Everyone placed their hands together. "N.Y. Knicks!" Their voices boomed and the crowd cheered.

Nine minutes into the second quarter of the game and the crowd were already up in their seats. It was a close game and each team scores just after the other one does. "Lucas, ball." Nathan shouted as Lucas gave him a chest pass. Nathan does a fade away, and scores. "Nice play man." Lucas told him as they went to defense. The cycle goes on and the second quarter ended with both games tied. Both teams retreated to their own locker rooms and the crowd went to get drinks.

"Rachel and I are going to get drinks, do you want anything?" Peyton asked both Haley and Brooke who were sitting beside each other. "I think I'll just have some iced tea." Haley answered and Peyton then turned to Brooke. "Iced tea for me too." She replies and with that, her two friends were gone.

"So I'm glad you came." Haley started with a smile when she turned to Brooke who smiled back. "Yeah, me too. Lucas told me you'd love the company." She shared and Haley nodded. "Yeah, it's usually just me and some wives of the boys, and I'm not really that close to them so I'm really glad you guys came." She shared and Brooke felt good about what Haley thought of her. "We should hang out more often, I think we'll really have fun." The brunette suggested and Haley couldn't agree more.

"So, how's living with Lucas? I hope you're not too bored." Haley asked and Brooke was actually surprised with what she said. "No, everything is actually going good. I mean, other than the fact that you know, that, I think moving in is pretty great." She admits truthfully, and she could see a glint of happiness in Haley's eyes. "Well, that's really good. Lucas hasn't been with anyone for a pretty long time." Haley shared and Brooke was taken aback by what she just told her.

They then both noticed the big screen in front of them where their images were displayed. They had big smiles on and was soon later changed into kissing couples. "Nice shirt, by the way." Haley took notice and Brooke slightly tipped her head. "Yeah, I saw Lucas wearing it earlier. I just thought it'd be nice for everything." She explained and Haley couldn't agree more. "I'm sure the sales for that will suddenly skyrocket." Haley added, which confused Brooke. "Skyrocket? Why?" She asked and Haley's eyes grew bigger. "Because you're wearing them." She says and Brooke felt flattered.

Ten minutes later, Rachel and Peyton were back, drinks in hand. "That was fast." Brooke noticed and Rachel just had this goofy face on. "Well, being hot and fab helps." She says and Brooke just rolled her eyes at her as if telling Haley to ignore her. "What, it's not my fault that someone offered to buy these for us!" Rachel told the brunette as she handed her two large iced teas.

"So Haley, I listened to your songs. They're pretty good." Peyton remembered. She was browsing through some artists a few days ago and she came across the name Haley James."You're a singer?" Brooke asked excitedly. "Uh, yeah, that was a long time ago." Haley answered quite uncomfortable with the subject. "Yeah, I noticed that too. Why'd you stop?" The blonde asked again, this time Haley didn't know what to say anymore. "It's a long story." She simply replies and Peyton decided to drop the subject.

Both teams emerged from both sides again and the crown roared. Haley noticed something changed in both Lucas and Nathan's faces. It oozed with determination, which made her smile. The buzzer for the third quarter sounded and the clock started running again. Seven minutes into the quarter and the Knicks are up by ten, them having to thank Lucas for shooting five consecutive three point shots. The Celtics then calls for a timeout and the court is cleared. "Okay, you guys are doing good. They did that to break Lucas' momentum. Just continue what you're doing and if you see Nathan free, pass him the ball. Don't get sloppy now. N.Y. Knicks on three. One, two, three." Coach Isaiah finished and once again, they return to the court full of spirit. "N.Y. Knicks!"

"Go Lucas!" Brooke shouted which managed to top everyone else's. Lucas must've heard it because he turned to look at her with a big smile. Everyone around Brooke looked at her, including her friends who had questioning looks on their faces. "What? I'm cheering." Brooke tells them defensively. With that, they all focus back on the game.

Soon enough the buzzer sounded to end the third quarter, the Knicks leading the Celtics by eight. "Okay, we're still good here. Nathan, I need you to guard Garnett better, and continue making points on the inside." Coach Isaiah ordered and Nathan nodded, not losing focus. "Skills, just keep passing the ball until it's only eight seconds in the game, that's when you try to shoot." Coach Isaiah continued, in which Skills replied "You got it coach." Full of spirit. "Now, Lucas, try getting back your momentum. Tim, Jack, try shooting threes too. Don't be afraid and take the shot, okay? N.Y. Knicks on three. One, two, three. N.Y. Knicks!" With that, the players were back on court.

"You think they're going to win?" Brooke asked no one in particular as she started shaking on her empty iced tea cup. "Of course they're gonna win!" Someone from behind answered which she didn't mind facing as she didn't want to tear her focus on the game. The next thing she hears is the other side roaring because Garnett scored and drew a foul from Nathan. Some fans booed as Garnett missed the free throw, the Knicks getting the rebound.

"Go Nathan!" This time, it was Haley's turn to shout. He must've slightly heard her faint voice compared to the roaring crowd when he looked at her before the inbound. Five minutes remaining on the clock and once again, the game was tied, Coach Isaiah had called for his second to the last time-out. "Okay, just five more minutes. I need you guys to hold on. Pass the ball to Nathan every chance you got. Okay? We can do this. N.Y. Knicks on three. N.Y. Knicks!" With that each side roared to cheer for each team again.

"Let's step it up, little brother." Lucas told Nathan as they both walk back into the court, giving each other a high five. The crowd cheered louder and the team's morale was boosted. They weren't co-captains for nothing. The resume of the game meant a more aggressive offense and a tighter defense. The buzzer then sounded and the announcer signaled there were only two minutes remaining in the game.

Nathan was finding a hard time to box out bigger guy than him so he always passes the ball out. When there was only five second in the shot clock Skills passed it to Tim who attempted a three and made the shot. "Yes!" Lucas said in delight when they turned to defense. "Good work man!" Nathan added as they now took the lead by a point again. Fouls were drawn here and there and each team were on the penalty. "Okay, just, be brave and shoot." Lucas told Skills as the guy stood on the free throw line.

"Okay, be brave and shoot. Here goes nothing." Skills said as he made the first throw, swooshing it into the net. The other boys clapped and they were again a point ahead. "Just one more man." Nathan said and Skills only nodded. When the ball left his hand, he knew it was going to go in so immediately, the team shifted back to defense.

With only less than thirty seconds left, Ray Allen sinks a lay-up, putting the game into a tie again. "Just pass me the ball man." Lucas whispered to Tim who was getting the inbound. "Alright." He said and nodded. "Go Lucas!" Brooke shouted from the courtside again, not managing to hold off the excitement she's feeling, or the nervousness that their team could lose. She then sees Lucas give Nathan a nod. With seven seconds remaining, Tim passes the ball to Lucas as he step behind the ark. "It's a three!" Garnett shouted and ran towards the blonde to block it. To his surprise, Nathan Scott was waiting under the net. It wasn't a three, it was a lob pass, the next thing he sees was Nathan Scott doing an alley oop. With that, the clock stopped, leaving more than a second into the game. The Knicks leading the Celtics by two. As the green team inbound, they hear the crowd roar louder. The Knicks had won.

"Oh my God! We won! We won!" Brooke jumped in excitement as she hugged Haley and then Peyton and Rachel who were also equally excited. They all see the boys jumping together in a circle as Coach Isaiah shook hand with the Celtics coach. "Come on you guys, let go down there." Haley told them as she tugged Brooke's hand. Together the four of them left their seats.

"That was a nice play Lucas, Nathan." Coach Isaiah told them and they just both nod, relieved that they won their game. "I'll see you boys later." Coach Isaiah said and with that he left. "Did you really think it was gonna work?" Nathan asked and Lucas just shrugged. "I'm just glad it did. I'd hate to lose the first game Brooke went to." He answered as he saw the girls coming.

"Honey! Congratulations!" Haley exclaimed and Nathan enveloped her in a tight embrace. "Congratulations you guys." Peyton and Rachel chirped in, as Nathan decided to introduce them to the team first. "So, did I tell you that what you did was awesome?" Brooke looked up to Lucas with a big smile. Before she realized what was happening, his lips were crashing into hers. She reciprocated the kiss, although confusion was everything she had at that moment. "What was that for?" She asked, still with a smile on. It wasn't something forced, because if she was being honest, she enjoyed it. "For the cameras." He answered and she nodded. "But mostly for me, because we won." He finished and she couldn't put the pieces together yet.

She didn't have anything to say. It was like, what happened got her speechless. "So, let me introduce you to the boys." Lucas told her then ushered her to the rest of the guys where her two friends were busy talking. "Hey guys." He spoke and everyone turned to him. "I know you've been waiting for this, so don't act all innocent on me now. I'd like you all to meet Brooke, my fiancée. Brooke, this is _the_ team." Lucas introduced, and next thing she knows they were all greeting her.

"It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Tim." Tim was the first to speak and the other guys followed. "Skills here, Josh, Drake, Marvin, Alex, Sam, Chris, Ethan." They all spoke and shook her hand one by one. When they were done, most of the guys retired towards the locker room while Peyton and Rachel told Brooke they'll go ahead. "Are you sure you can't wait for us?" Brooke asked, not quite thrilled with the idea. "Nope, we need our rest! Cheering is tiring." Peyton answered and the three hugged each other goodbye. "We'll talk about it tomorrow, promise." Rachel added before they left.

_So they did see the kiss._ Brooke thought to herself. "Hey Brooke, so, my coach kind of wants to meet you." Lucas said as Nathan and Haley walked together towards the locker room. "So you're parading me to everyone now?" She says in a silly tone, but Lucas obviously took it the wrong way. "I'm sorry, they were just really—" He stopped when Brooke walked and grabbed his hand. "Come on, where's that coach of yours?"

So yeah there. The guy is in fact Chase. Who did you expect anyways? So, I have a little problem about Lucas' past. I'm not sure about what I have already, but do you have any suggestions about what he could've done for him to go to jail and for Nathan and Haley to hate him. Suggestions are very much appreciated. Anyway, thanks for reading and don't forget to review. )

Special thank yous go to these people who went the trouble of letting me know what they thought:

**Brooke6404  
****B.Nguyen  
****tifa1984  
****PeterClaire  
****psiek  
****LeaCharmedOne  
****othfan326  
****ILoveYouTooPrettyGirl  
****TeamSophia  
****brucas224  
****Brooke D.  
****sweetchristie03**

You'll find out about their 'skeletons' soon. I just need more ideas so I could fix everything up. If you think some parts are a little off, like they shift from one mood to another, I'll try to make it better next time. I'm having quite a hard time with the descriptions now, and I just badly wanted to update. Lol. Anyway, like I said, if you have any suggestions about Lucas' past, I would really love to hear them. I haven't started the next chapter and will still be waiting for your suggestions if there are any, so I don't know exactly when it'll be up. Anyway, thanks for reading. )


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** I know. Finally, right? After two author's notes, I finally finished it. Anyway, I wouldn't keep you all from waiting. Here it is.

**Title:** Dinner Turned Engagement

**Chapter V:** It's Our Friends Who Keep Us Grounded

She was staring blankly at the ceiling for quite a while now. It was just now that his words dawned on her. _But mostly for me._ It rang inside her head once again. She turned one more time, not knowing what to think of his words. Does he like her? She thought to herself. She doesn't understand why she's so troubled about it. Was it because she kissed him back? Does she like him? Those were the things that ran through her mind. When she turned one more time, a thud following. She had fallen of the bed.

She let out a groan as she tried to get on her feet. When she was finally able to, she made her way to the bathroom. It seemed like sleep was the last thing that's going to come to her tonight. She washed her face and she looked in the mirror. "Lucas Scott, what are you doing to me?" She mutters to herself, then washed her face one more time. Hoping that along the water that's flushed down the drain will be some of things that's keeping her up tonight.

The next day, Brooke Davis had found herself buried with work in her office, trying to finish sketches that were already a week overdue. It wasn't until a certain blonde followed by a red head that she realized she hasn't eaten anything.

"Brooke Davis, just the girl we want to see." Peyton greeted as she looked to Rachel first, then taking the seat in front of the brunette's table. She lifted her head slightly from what she's doing and was met by a frown from Rachel.

"You're busy?" The red head asks as she walked towards the brunette's table and looked at what she's working on.

"Yeah, I needed to finish some designs. Recent events stopped me from doing so." Brooke told her two friends with much frustration. A crease forms between Peyton's eyebrows. Come to think of it, the brunette looked tired considering it was still early in the morning of office hours. Also, her voice sounded raspier than usual.

"Are you okay?" Gone was the silly tone she had greeted her earlier, and was now replaced by a worried one. Rachel caught a glimpse of the blonde and nodded.

"Have you eaten?" The red head asks, this time, out of concern too. When the brunette just smiled at them cheekily, Peyton had to hiss.

"Brooke!" The blonde says.

"I know." She tells them both, as if trying to tell the two to not lecture her about it. "It's just that I really got into work and…" Her voice drifted off as she saw her two friends nod, their faces still not pleased with what she did. She must've really gotten them worried when she passed out once, but that was a long time ago.

"Why don't we just grab a bite?" Rachel suggested, and then looked at the blonde that she came with first, then to the brunette who was still smiling at the two of them. Just when the three were about to leave, Millicent knocked on the door and poked her head inside.

"Brooke, are you busy?" She asked, looking at the blonde and the red head she was well acquainted with. When her boss shook her head, she took it as her cue to step in and continued. "Oprah called again, they said that if it's possible, they want to reschedule your guesting."

"You're guesting on Oprah!?" Peyton turned to the brunette behind her with an amused face on. It was like she wanted to jump out of sheer happiness. Brooke was actually surprised that it was Peyton who fired up, and not Rachel, but she ignored it first and placed her focus on Millicent.

"I don't understand, I haven't given them an answer." She tells the eyeglass wearing brunette, and she just nodded.

"Yes, they said that they're looking forward to your answer, and if possible, to call them before this week ends." Millicent explained.

"Oh, I haven't talked to Lucas about it yet." Brooke says, ignoring the questioning looks Rachel's giving her. When Millicent heard her boss, she just nodded as she exited the room, closing the door behind her.

"I can't believe you're guesting on Oprah!" Peyton gushed again, excitement written all over her face.

"You lucky whore! Come on, tell us about it." Rachel finally said, and it doesn't surprise Brooke. She had to chuckle at her friends. They obviously thought about it the way she did when she first heard about it.

"I thought we were going to grab something to eat?" She tells them as she opened the door and asked the two to follow her. More than willing, both Rachel and Peyton did as they were told, looking forward to some girl talk.

Lucas Scott awoke to the sound of his phone ringing. When he reached out to answer it, it fell off the side table causing him to groan. He opened his eyes and saw that the sun had long awaken. When he turned to his clock, he thought he read it wrong. Taking a second look, he realized he woke up way past the time he usually does. The first thing he thought about is Brooke. Forgetting about his phone that fell, he pushed off the sheets.

Not even brushing his teeth, and still having his morning hair, he stumbled out of his bedroom to check on the brunette. He knocked and poked his head in like he usually does. "Brooke, are you in there?" He called out when he doesn't see her. When he didn't get an answer, he made his way downstairs into the kitchen, only to find out, it too was empty.

He felt a little sorry that she had left without waking him up. Then again, it wasn't really her job. The expression on his face suddenly changed when he noticed a pink post it on his fridge. He's not familiar with the brunette's handwriting, but he assumed it was hers, considering they were the only two people living in his house, and he's sure it doesn't belong to him.

Hey Lucas,

Sorry, I had to leave early.  
I have tons of work to do.  
You were still sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to wake you.

-Brooke

He smiled as he read her note. Even in the paper she still calls him Lucas. Although if you ask him, he would have said he'd like her to call him Luke. Lucas just seemed all too formal.

Last night had been one of those nights he hadn't had in a while. He practically slept like a log. Obviously, that was the case, seeing how late he woke up. Normally he'd find himself tossing and turning every night thinking of things, but last night was different.

Brooke Davis had kissed him. Sure, he was the one who initiated it, telling her that it's also for the cameras. But if he would have to say so himself, she kissed him back. The last thing on his mind was that she could only be pretending, because it certainly didn't feel like it.

He folded the note as a pleased smile crossed his lips, suddenly remembering the sound of his phone that had caused him to wake up. He went back to his room to check on the call only to find out that it was his father.

Some way or another, Dan Scott always finds a way to ruin his day, but not this time. What could he possibly want this time? He shrugs the thought away not minding to call him back. He was all too happy with the note Brooke left him, but he couldn't help but think that it was just a note, and people leave notes all the time. Still, he couldn't help but feel…elated. Who knew a note could make him so happy?

I got your note.  
You should've just woken me up.  
I wouldn't have mind.

-Lucas

The text message read, and it was a simple act, yet it made her smile. "Okay, why are you smiling?" Rachel asked snatching away the brunette's blackberry.

"Rachel! Give it back!" The brunette hisses trying to take back her phone, but wasn't successful.

"I got your note? You should've woken me up? I wouldn't have mind?" Rachel read the text message. Her voice getting more and more excited each line that she read. When she saw his name, she had to restrain herself from squealing as other people were already starting to look at them.

"What? Let me see!" Peyton followed next and her eyes got bigger as she read the words. The brunette just rolled her eyes, feeling a sense of defeat from her two friends. "Oh my God, did you? Did you…" Peyton's voice drifted off when she saw Brooke finally glaring at the two of them.

"Get your mind out of the gutter!" She hisses, finally taking back her blackberry and shoving it back into her purse. "And no, we didn't!" She tells them and they both quirk eyebrows at her.

"So do tell Davis, what did you do then?" Rachel quirked, raising an eyebrow at the brunette, who seemed uneasy at the position she was put in.

"What do you mean _what we did_? Nothing. We didn't do anything." Brooke replies defensively, only ensuing more questions from her two friends who are nowhere near satisfied with her answers.

She then watched Rachel walk towards a table where a couple of guys were seated, then came back with a newspaper in hand. "Well, this picture says otherwise." The red head told her, and then pointing to a picture of Brooke and Lucas caught up in each other's lips.

The brunette chose not to say anything about it, first because people who hear bits of their conversation could find out the truth, and secondly, she wasn't sure what she'll make out of their kiss either. Was it just a kiss? She didn't know. Did it mean something more? She doesn't know that either. All she knew that during that moment she felt she needed to kiss him back, and boy, it was good.

"On to some other things." Peyton spoke when she felt the brunette doesn't want to talk about it. "I still can't believe you're guesting on Oprah." She tells Brooke with an excited tone. Rachel just rolled her eyes and decided to drop the subject about Brooke's relationship with Lucas for the mean time.

"I don't think I'll do it though." Brooke replied trying to gather her thoughts back and not think about the kiss.

"What? Why?" Rachel asked in a shocked tone, turning a few head towards their direction. "Ooops. Sorry." She tells the crowd waving at them apologetically.

"Because!" Brooke says, but doesn't manage to continue.

"Because what?" Peyton asks, lowering her tone, so that she was sure only the three of them would hear.

"Because they're asking for me _and_ Lucas. They're asking for _us_." Brooke explains putting emphasis on the last word. The realization hits both of her friends and she thinks they finally understand, until Rachel started speaking again.

"But this is _Oprah_ we're talking about!" She tries to argue in a low tone, not wanting the nearby tables to find out about their conversation.

"I know!" The brunette replies, suddenly feeling lost about it. Is she really just going to pass up this opportunity, something that not all people get?

"Brooke, you're not considering on doing it, are you?" Peyton asked and saw hesitation in the brunette's eyes. "Brooke!" She hisses one more time, keeping her voice low.

"I don't know. I don't know. I'll talk to Lucas about it." She replies as she had come to the decision of doing what Lucas will do. Yes, she's going to let him call it.

The doorbell rang a few times before he was able to finally answer the door. "Hi Luke." Haley greets him in the softest tone.

"Hey Hales." He greets her back and lets her in. "What brings you here?" He asks, not really expecting the presence of his best friend at the moment.

"I was in the neighborhood. Just thought I'd drop by." Haley told him as natural as she could. If he didn't know her he'd probably believe it, but he knew better.

"Really?" He asks, trying to call her bluff, and then raising an eyebrow at her. The Haley he knows always called. Even when she was in the neighborhood and decided to stop by, she always called. "Are you by yourself?" He asked, but was answered by the greeting coming from his brother.

"Hey Luke." Nathan greets him as he made his way into the living room.

"I guess not." He says raising an eyebrow at the two. "Why are the two of you here?" He asks again, this time he eyes them both as if telling them to better tell him what it's all about.

"It's Dad." Nathan told him, but he just looked at him inquisitively and asked the two to have a seat.

"Yeah, this morning my phone rang. It was him, I wasn't able to answer it though. What does he want this time?" He asks not really caring about the words he's using, or the tone he has.

"He had a heart attack Luke." Haley was the one to break it to him. She was serious, and he didn't know how to react. He stifled a nervous laugh.

"Lucas, this is serious." Haley scolded him. "This is _your_ father we're talking about." She continues pitying the man whose sons hated him.

"What do you want me to say Hales?" Lucas replied in frustration running a hand through his hair. He paced around hoping to find answers. The couple was silent for a while until his brother spoke.

"Look man, I know he wasn't the best father to us, but he's still _our_ father." Nathan told him as he too rose from his seat.

"I know! But what do you want me to do? Look at what he's done with my life!" Lucas' voice rose as anger raged inside him, Nathan just let out an irrate laugh.

"Yeah, let me tell you what. Sure it was some wedding arrangement he planned with Brooke's parents, but he brought you Brooke." Nathan's voice rose a little too, as he tried to make a point. Haley decided to step in between them before the two end up really fighting.

"Stop it!" She tells them both, and with that the two Scott men turned to look at her. "Dan may not have been the best father to both of you, but if it were not for him, you wouldn't be here." Haley says and it's directed to Nathan as much as it is to Lucas.

"You decide what you want Luke, but I'm going to see him. I just thought I'd let you know." Nathan looks at him straight in the eye, a small part of him finding it really difficult of how his brother could just ignore what happened to their father, while for the most part, understands what he's going through. "Let's go Hales." He tells his wife.

Haley nodded but not before she hugged Lucas goodbye. "I know you'll do the right thing." She whispers to him, and with that the couple left. Somehow, Dan Scott really manages to ruin his day, and just when he thought that he couldn't possibly do that to this day, it turns out he can.

"So enough about me." She quips to her friends as she drank what's left of her iced tea. "How's Jeyton land? And Jenny? I miss that kid." She asks as she turns to Peyton who had raise her eyebrow due to her 'Jeyton' comment.

"Jeyton? Dude, seriously? We don't need a couple name too." The blonde replies shaking her head in the process.

"Well I thought you should get one. It's only fair since people didn't even ask if Lucas and I wanted to be named as Brucas." The brunette argues and Peyton couldn't believe it was coming from the CEO of a big company, then again, Brooke had always been a cut above the rest.

"Well, Jeyton land is doing just fine. In fact, Jake said he and Jenny might stay for a week or two when he finishes with the tour." Peyton muses, a glint of happiness and longing visible in her eyes.

"That's great! I'm really happy for you P. Sawyer." Brooke tells Peyton with a content smile on.

"Well, I'd say I'm happy for you too, but you certainly don't think so." The blonde joked as she slightly tipped her head sideways, making the brunette roll her eyes.

They then notice Rachel's silence. Looking over to the red head, Brooke saw her face down, as if not wanting to be seen. Peyton observed her earlier looking at a table a few meters behind the brunette.

"Rach? Are you okay?" Brooke asks, trying to take a look at her friend's face. When Rachel realized that the two had already noticed her weirdness, it became more difficult to hide it.

"You were looking at something a while ago." Peyton tells her, and then looked towards the table she was sure her friend was spotting. That's when Brooke decided she too should see for herself.

"Brooke, no." Rachel asked her, almost pleading. The brunette had yet to see what it was. She just raised her brow at her friend and tried to turn again to see what is was.

"Brooke, don't." This time it was Peyton's hand that stopped her. The blonde too, almost pleaded, her eyes shifting from Brooke to the table and back again.

"Okay, you two are seriously creeping me out." She tells them both with a nervous laugh. Curiosity got the best of her and she turned to look at it. "What is it anyway?" She says first. As soon as she realized why the two were stopping her, she wishes she should've just listened to them.

There it was, rather, there _he_ was. The face she had tried to forget for the last 4 years or so. Dressed in a black suit, she assumed he was meeting some clients. Beside him sat a woman, about their age. Auburn hair, white skin, she couldn't tell the color of her eyes. Suddenly, all of them rose from their seats and she had to turn her head back to where her worried friends were waiting, afraid that he might see her.

She gathered her thoughts first, not really knowing how to react and what to say next. She looked at her friends and saw their worried faces on. "Is he gone?" She finally spoke, and both Rachel and Peyton darted their eyes towards his direction to see if he's still there.

"He's leaving." Rachel informs her, watching the brunette close her eyes in relief. It all came as a shock for the three of them, but mostly for Brooke, that's for sure.

Rachel and Peyton didn't say anything to the brunette. They just let her calm herself and waited for her to finally speak. "I think I should head back to the office. They might need me for something." Brooke finally said. Peyton looked at Rachel as if trying to tell her to say something.

"Brooke, are you sure?" Peyton asked, a bit hesitant about it. She knows Brooke, and if she doesn't want to talk about it, she'll pretend nothing happened.

"Waiter." Rachel called, waving a hand at one. She asked for their cheat and paid for everything. Soon enough the three were out of the restaurant, but not before checking if he had really left. "I'll drive." The red head says with authority, snatching the keys from the brunette. Peyton just nodded, and though Brooke hesitated for a second, she just agreed with her in the end.

Brooke had taken the backseat, and although Peyton wanted to seat beside her, she opted that the blonde seat beside Rachel. All three of them were silent, an awkward silence enveloping all of them. Brooke stared blankly outside, her sad face slightly reflected on the cars window.

Peyton heard her sigh and for a moment she almost wanted to talk to the brunette, but she told herself not to, instead, she just spotted her from the rear view mirror. Rachel however just focused on driving. She didn't look at the blonde or catch a glimpse of the brunette behind her. She just drove.

About 15 minutes into traffic, Peyton couldn't take the tension anymore and has decided that her friend needs to talk about it. She turned to Brooke but she had to stop from calling her name when she saw the brunette already fast asleep.

The red light has yet to turn green and Rachel was growing impatient. She tapped her fingers on the wheel, already itching to step on the gas pedal. "She's asleep." She heard Peyton hush as the blonde turned back to her seat and faced the road.

Rachel caught a glimpse of her friend from the mirror. For someone who had seen the ghost of her past just a while ago, Brooke awfully looked peaceful in her sleep. The red light soon turned green and the red head made a quick left on Charles St.

"Rachel, where are we going?" Peyton had to ask knowing that they should've made a right if they were going back to Brooke's office.

"Just taking a different route." She tells the blonde without taking her eyes off the road. Peyton looked at Brooke in the mirror to check if she was still fast asleep.

"Okay, whatever you're planning, it would be better if you tell me, right about now." Peyton told the red head trying to keep her voice down. Rachel was awfully driving faster along Broadway but not breaking speed limit, of course.

"She needs to deal with things Peyton, you know she does." Rachel tells the blonde mysteriously. Peyton still couldn't understand why they're driving on Broadway so fast.

"And that's connected to this, how?" She asks trying to make the red head face her, but Rachel doesn't. She just continued driving. Peyton looked over at the brunette again, checking if their hisses managed to wake her up. Luckily, it didn't.

"Here, call Millicent first." Rachel ordered the blonde as she handed her the cell phone. Peyton obliged, but in exchange, she wanted a clear explanation.

"Hello, Millicent? Yeah, it's Peyton. Does Brooke have any important meetings? No? Ok, she's not feeling well right now. No, nothing to worry about, she says she'll just see you on Monday. Yes. That would be all." Peyton finally hung up and looked towards the red head again.

"Get Brooke's phone and call Lucas next. He might get worried." Rachel instructed and Peyton shot her a glare, not that it affected the red head, because it definitely didn't.

"You better have an explanation for this Gattina." Peyton muttered as she grabbed a hold of Brooke's blackberry and started dialing Lucas' number.

"Hey Lucas. It's Peyton. No, I'm calling for Brooke. She's going to spend the night with Rachel and I. No, it's nothing to worry about. We just need to talk about some stuff. I'm sorry but she can't come to the phone right now. Yeah, I'll tell her to call you back. Bye." Peyton hung up again, then looked towards the red head again. "Anymore people you want me to call?" She spats, but Rachel doesn't reply.

The blonde who was yet to be made aware where their destination just sat silently. It's already been over an hour and a half since she had, by no choice, went along with what Rachel was thinking.

They were now driving along the New York Thruway passing 14 exits already. "Okay, just tell me where we're going and maybe I won't let Brooke kill you when she wakes up." Peyton finally spoke again, eyeing Rachel, who was nice enough to slightly look at her and nod.

"Three more exits and you'll know." The red head replies simply making the blonde groan at tad bit loud. That's when Brooke woke up. For a moment, Peyton wanted to pretend she too was asleep.

"Where are we?!" A panicked voice asked as she looked at her surroundings, noticing a big change in scenery.

"We got lost on our way back to your office." Peyton answered trying to humor the brunette, but failing miserably. She then glared at the red head who didn't care to answer the brunette's question.

"And what?!" The brunette started. "Ended up on the highway?!" She fumed, shooting glares at both the blonde and the red head thru the mirror. "Rachel, pull over." She instructed, but Rachel didn't listen.

"Just one more exit." Rachel simply answered and continued driving. She spotted the sign: Exit 19, 1 mile ahead.

"I said pull over!" Brooke's tone rose a little, but Peyton knew she was still restraining herself. Knowing that Brooke getting mad wouldn't help, she decided to step up.

"Brooke, calm down!" Peyton tells the brunette. If looks could kill, she would've been dead by now.

"Finally!" Rachel mutters, as if not aware of the fight that will ensue, right about now. She paid for the toll, quite thankful that Brooke hasn't exactly given her an earful yet.

"Stop the car!" Brooke shouted again, this time not managing to restrain herself of her anger. Peyton had to squint her eyes a little due to its tone. Rachel stepped on the gas pedal and Brooke was thrown back due to the speed. Peyton held onto the safety grip afraid that their car would crash.

"Rach! Slow down!" The blonde warned her friend, her body, backing away from the dashboard as far as possible. But Rachel did no such thing. The only way their going to get where their going is if they get there fast, and that's exactly what Rachel intends to do.

She drove about fifteen more minutes before Brooke had to shout again. This was when she knew Brooke had already had it. But she didn't really mind. Brooke could shout at her for all she care, what's important was they finally got to their destination, well, almost.

"Welcome to Kingston?" Peyton read as they passed by the sign, turning to the red head with an awful lot of questions. One of which was, why Kingston?

"Either you stop now, or the three of us will get into a serious accident." Brooke threatened. With that, Rachel brought the car to a screeching halt.

"Fine. I'll stop." She tells the brunette nonchalantly, her voice not rising a bit. Peyton looked over to the red head and shot her a questioning look, while Brooke angrily got out of _her_ car.

"Fine!" The brunette shouted as she started walking back to where they came from.

"Fine." Rachel mutters nonchalantly inside Brooke's car, tilting her head a little in the process. The blonde and the red head hear the brunette groan madly, and soon enough she was walking back towards them.

"Okay, bitch walking back now." Peyton observed then sunk in her seat. "I mean Brooke." She corrects herself, laughing a little in the process. Rachel chuckled a bit with her, not aware that the brunette could see them thru the side mirror.

Brooke tapped her window and Rachel rolled it down. "Get out of the car." A fuming Brooke ordered.

"Why?" Rachel asked as if not aware of the brunette's desire to go back to New York and to her 'normal' life.

"Because it's _my_ car!" Brooke shouted with much anger as she pulled the door open and waited for the red head to step out. If looks could really kill, she'd have two dead bodies with her now.

"No." The red head reply, and that's when Peyton knew, she'll be the one driving after what's going to happen, happens.

"No? Then I'll just have to get you out, don't I?" Brooke spat out and grabbed Rachel by the arm and started to forcefully drag her out. Eventually she managed to do so.

"Fine! Keep running, keep doing what you're doing for the last four years." Rachel bit as she collapsed on the ground near the road. She knew she shouldn't play that card, but it was the only way Brooke would talk about it.

Brooke glared at the red head trying to catch her breath. They were still both tired from dragging each other earlier. "Running? You think I'm running? Well try thinking he's the guy you're supposed to spend your life with, and then find out he just walked away from you! What would you do?" Brooke screamed at the top of her lungs while Rachel tried to regain her energy as she sat on the ground.

Peyton just watched from the car. She had seen this happen too many times. How could today any be different? Well, aside from the fact that the two were in the middle of the road on a sunny September afternoon, shouting at each other?

"I'll deal with it, and maybe, move on. But I'll definitely deal with it." Peyton heard Rachel spat. She knew all the red head wanted to do was to make Brooke realize what she's missing out on life, on love, on a lot of things, really. But the brunette had been stubborn, too stubborn.

"You think I haven't _dealt_ with it. Well surprise, I have!" Brooke shouted back, then began walking towards the car. Peyton tensed. Their fight usually ended when the two couldn't say anything to each other anymore.

"How Brooke? Tell me!" Rachel stood up from her position, shouting as loud as she possibly could. "By not dating? By burying yourself in work? By completely ignoring our questions when we ask you about him?" The red head ran down, knowing all too well what her friend had been doing ever since.

Brooke turned to face Rachel again, and for a moment, the red head thought that the brunette already ran out of things to say, but boy, was she wrong. "Yes. Are you happy now?" The brunette bites back, but it was all too cold. No emotions whatsoever.

Peyton didn't hear what Brooke said so finally she felt the need to step out of the car. It was the cue she always got when the two fight. It was her cue to just step in and stop them already, knowing one is already too hurt. Most of the time it was Brooke, other times it was Rachel.

"Happy? Are you insane? Do you think I like to watch one of my best friends miss out on a lot of things? Just because of this one guy? This one guy that's not even worth it! You think I'm happy Brooke?" Peyton heard Rachel say as she inched closer. Somehow her feet stopped. She's never heard those lines before.

"You don't even know why he left!" Rachel continued when the brunette didn't come up with anything to say. "Well let me tell you why!" She spat out, but this time Peyton ran between them.

"Okay, stop. You do realize we're in the middle of the road, right?" She says, stating the obvious, hoping that Rachel would just calm down.

"You knew why he left and you didn't tell me?!" Brooke shouted as she walked closer to the red head. Peyton realized none of their conversations had gone this far before. She also knew that once all of this is done, it's either the three of them will remain friends or they won't. She hoped it'd be the first one.

"Rachel, stop." Peyton tells the red head, but it was as if to the two who were both hurting, she wasn't there. Afraid of what the circumstances would bring she shouted at both of them again. "Stop fighting!" She cried out, hoping one of them would at least listen to her.

When the two both grew silent, she knew it was her turn to speak. "This has gone on long enough. I've had it. I don't want to stop both of you from fighting every time Rachel thinks you should talk about him anymore." Peyton speaks in a low tone, her voice not rising a bit.

"Peyt…" Brooke mutters, but the blonde doesn't let her speak. "Stop it Brooke. I need to say this." She began. "This, everything, this whole confrontation, Rachel just wants you to realize that you're missing out on a lot of things. I do too." She tells the brunette. She didn't even realize that tears were already running down her face.

"He's not even worth it Brooke. Do you know why he left?" Peyton asked only to be met by the brunette's intense eyes. The blonde then turned to the red head who just nodded. It was about time their friend found out the truth.

"He left because he cheated on you. Your dad had to pay him off because he threatened that he'll ruin your life." Peyton was quite relieved as soon as the truth left her lips. Brooke however, was devastated.

"No, you're lying! You're lying!" Brooke broke down in tears refusing to believe what her blonde friend had said.

"It's true Brooke, we were there!" Rachel shouted, wishing that the brunette would just take it as it is, so they could all be happy together.

"No! He wouldn't do that to me!" She tries to argue, but somewhere in her heart, she somehow knew it was true.

A black Mercedes passed by, and stopped by to where Peyton stood. "Hey, I didn't think I'd bump into you here. Are you girls okay?" The guy from inside the car asked, but only Peyton could see him.

"You know what Brooke? Believe what you want. But it's the truth. We wished it wasn't, but there it is. It's either you deal with it, or like Rachel said, run from it. Your choice." Peyton told the brunette, then looked over to the red head. She's had enough of the two of them, at least for now. With that she opened the door to the Mercedes and got in. Before they passed Rachel, she had already rolled the window up.

"Peyton!" Brooke called out realizing her friend just went with a total stranger. She walked back to her car, got in and started driving, but not before she stopped by Rachel. "Are you going to get in, or what?" She asked the red head, and with no questions asked, she ran towards the passenger seat and got in.

The call he got from Peyton took his mind off of things for a while, but when he realized Brooke must've missed her friends company, he ended back to his first worry. What was he supposed to do? Go back to Tree Hill and act like Dan Scott is the best father in the world? No, that definitely wasn't one of his options.

Confused as he was, he decided to make a call to a number he knew by heart. Knowing that thinking about the situation more won't help him, he waited for the person to pick up at the other end of the line. "Hello? Lucas?" The voice he's well familiar with finally answered.

"Uncle Keith." He greeted back nervously. He could also tell that his uncle was shaking. You could hear it in his voice. "I heard about dad, is he okay?" He manages to ask.

It doesn't take his uncle too long to answer. "It's bad son, it's really bad. The doctors don't know how much damage there had been." Keith explained, stuttering at some words.

Lucas couldn't say another word to his uncle. Suddenly, he thought he shouldn't have called. He heard his uncle speak again. "Are you on your way?" Keith asked and he didn't know how to answer.

"I…I got held up. But I'll be down there as soon as I can." He lied, thinking it wouldn't be best to tell his uncle how much he hates his father right now. He heard a faint oh at the other end, but was immediately followed by another question.

"How about Nathan? Is he on his way?" Keith asked, eager to know the blonde Scott's answer. Lucas cleared his throat before he spoke again.

"Yes. Nathan and Haley are on their way. How's mom?" He asks, truly worried about his mother's condition. He did hate her less after all.

"You're mom's a mess." He hears his uncle say. He felt his heart sunk a bit with the news, knowing he could've been there if he wanted too. "But Karen's helping her cope. She needs you here Luke." Keith informed him, and that's when Nathan's words finally got to him.

"I know. I'll be down there as soon as I can. I'm going to have to call you back." He tells his uncle goodbye, shutting his phone in the process. He started to pace around his living room again. If Haley was there she'd have knocked sense into him hours ago.

But she wasn't. Instead she came with Nathan. She went with him to see the person who didn't think twice on letting her know that he hates her. She visited the last person she wanted to see, and that is more than what he can say about himself right now.

He had mixed emotions. Part of him wanted to just go down to Tree Hill and see his father the minute he heard about the news. Another part wished he'd just die, along with the secrets he knows about him. But the biggest part of him was just too stubborn to not care. It was like his father could die and he wouldn't mind. But he knows it was just because of the recent things he's done. Somehow he wonders again if what he's about to do is the right choice.

The black Mercedes pulled away from them way too fast. Apparently, Brooke didn't know how to drive like Rachel did. Then again, she never dated a race car driver either. "We're losing them!" Rachel finally spoke, worried about Peyton, who so stupidly just got in on some stranger's car.

"Well I don't know how to drive like a mad man!" Brooke replies with an irritated tone, not minding to look at the red head and just focused on the road.

"It's a straight road!" Rachel hisses, trying to catch the brunette's attention. "If something happens to Peyton, it's your fault!" She continues, and as if they're not trying to catch up with a black Mercedes, Brooke put the car into a screeching halt.

"My fault!? Are you kidding me!? Who brought us here in the first place anyway? Here's a clue, her name isn't Brooke!" The brunette spat out to the red head, who fumed as much as she did.

"Well that's good. At least she doesn't runaway from her past!" Rachel knew she was pushing it, but there's just no way that she's about to let the day end without knocking some proper sense into her friend's head. Even what it takes is getting bitch slapped.

Brooke's palm collided with her face. Rachel half expected it, but she didn't really believe Brooke would do it until it had actually happened. "You don't know how much I'm hurting!" The brunette said with her eyes closed.

Rachel didn't realize she was already crying with her. "Well, whose fault is that?" It came out more of a question than a bitter remark. "You don't know Peyton and I hurt because we feel like we've lost our friend either." The red head continue, not meeting the brunette's sad eyes, wiping her tears in the process. She spotted a car from the rear view mirror. Fortunately, it was running slow.

"I'm still here." Her voice was no longer angry. She didn't realize her friends were hurting too. "You never lost me." She continued, that's when her voice cracks. To her surprise, Rachel got out of the car and started waving at a red ford mustang that's awfully driving slow.

"Hey there hottie, fancy finding you here." Brooke heard the car's driver speak. When she saw her friend open the door, she knew she had to get out of her car.

"Rachel! What are you doing!?" She shouted at the red head even though they weren't even a meter apart.

"I'm going to find Peyton, you go back to New York, do whatever you want. Go back to your normal life if you please. There's a map on your compartment, you should be fine." Rachel tells her with tiredness in her voice. The red head chose not to meet the brunette's eyes, simply looking at the road ahead. Brooke looked over to the driver and tried to see if she knows him. Unfortunately, she didn't.

She wanted to say sorry. She wanted to tell her she's finally ready to talk about Chase. She wanted to say that they should look for Peyton together, but all she mustered up was a simple "Wait." The red head wouldn't hear it though. Brooke heard her tell the driver to take her to his house, him happily obliging.

Helpless, mad, and hurting as she was, it didn't take her long to get back to her car and started following the mustang that had clearly picked up speed. Her best friends are just too important to her. Whether they are enemies now, or the best of friends, she wouldn't let strangers in cars take away her girls. Not ever.

She'd fight to death for those two. She really believes that the three of them had gone to hell and back. Nothing could break them apart. Not her ex-boyfriend from the past, nor their seemingly non-ending confrontations about it, not even this.

She picks up her blackberry, confused as to why it was on the passenger's seat. Immediately she dials a number an waited for the other person to pick up. "Brooke?" He finally answers.

"Hey. I'm just calling to let you know I might not spend the night there." Her voice was a lot raspier than usual. She had stopped herself temporarily from crying.

"I know. Peyton told me. Are you okay?" He just had to ask. From what he can hear, it sounded like she had been crying. Did something happen to her and he didn't know? Suddenly, the kiss was the first thing that flashed into his mind.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Listen. I'm going to have to call you back. Bye." She doesn't let him reply, hitting the end button immediately. It was then that tears started falling again. She stepped on the gas pedal, not thinking if she's breaking speed limit or what. Granted that there was none, she didn't really care anymore. She needed to catch up with that mustang.

She thought about everything that just happened. How it was so not worth losing her friends over. She had known Peyton her entire life. She had cried with her when her two moms died. The blonde had already been an extension of herself, and she doesn't want to lose that part of herself. She knew that much.

Then there's Rachel. They had pretty much started off on bad terms during junior high. She after all, practically tried to take her spot as cheer captain and tried buying off Peyton with a NOFX CD. But it didn't take long for her too see past the red head's façade. Brooke knew it was thicker than what she shows around people – harder to bruise, harder to break, but she knew Rachel was no man of steel. She's just like everybody, vulnerable.

She saw the mustang take a left, and she hoped that the road doesn't diverge again, at least not when they're not in sight. Tears keep falling from her face, beginning to blur her vision. She didn't know why she's still crying. "_Stupid fight! Stupid Chase_!" She cursed under her breath. She wanted to hit her head on the wheel, but she also knew she has too much to live for.

When she took the left, she saw a town straight ahead. Although the figure was too small from where she is currently positioned, she recognized that Rachel had gotten off the red mustang and had started to walk away from it. She sped up towards her and in no time she was out of her car calling after the red head.

"Rachel! Rachel, stop!" She called after her, but she wouldn't listen. She continued walking, having her cell phone by her ear. Brooke eventually took off her stilettos and started running after her, barefoot.

The red head stopped when they reached a house with a white picket fence. "Peyton! Where are you?! Brooke and I are worried sick!" She asked agitatedly, as soon as the blonde picked up her phone.

"So you two made up already?" The blonde asked with an amused tone, waiting for Rachel to give her an answer.

The red head turned to look at the brunette. She wanted to laugh at her, seeing her walking towards her, barefooted, but she had to stop herself. "No." She simply answers, then asks again. "Where are you?"

Rachel hears a groan from Peyton. "I'm fine. Don't call me until the two of you make up." Peyton told her and hang up. Rachel got irritated as she too shut her phone.

"Damn it!" She mutters then walked towards the house with the white picket fence. Brooke's eyes widened as she watched her friend knock madly at the door.

"Rachel!" She hisses, staying outside of the fence. The red head turned once again to look at her and knocked one more time. The red head had to restrain herself from laughing again.

An old man finally opened the door. Brooke saw his face break into a big smile when he saw who the person at the door was. "Andy? Is that you?" Brooke heard the man ask and she saw Rachel nod. The two then hugged and was about to go in when the old man noticed Brooke's presence.

"Oh, is that beautiful lady a friend of yours?" The man turned to Rachel as the red head looked at the brunette, a smirk now crossing her face. She nodded and the old man invited Brooke in.

Wiping away what's left of her tears, and confused as hell, she smile awkwardly at the old man and approached the two, grabbing Rachel's arm as soon as she got close. "Patty, we have visitors." The old man cheerfully announces, while Brooke shot the red head questioning looks.

Rachel finally smiled. Brooke had finally understood. Otherwise, one of them wouldn't be standing next to the other at the moment. "Who is it?" A soft voice asked, coming from what Brooke believed to be the kitchen. "Andy? Is that you? Oh, it is! I haven't seen you in a while." Patty says as she hugged Rachel. "I see, you brought a friend?" She asks and Rachel nods.

"Grandma, Grandpa, I want you to meet Brooke. Brooke, meet my grandparents, Ben and Patty." Rachel introduced. Brooke smiled at them even though she didn't know Rachel still had grandparents.

"Hi. Nice to meet you." Brooke greets them a little awkward. "I'm sorry for showing up…like this." She tells them with a nervous laugh, as she still held onto her stilettos on one hand.

"Oh, don't worry about it honey." Patty tells her sweetly as a wide smile crossed her lips. "Do you need help with your things?" She asks the two. Both Brooke and Rachel turned to each other not knowing how to answer her question.

"Uh, we don't have things grandma." Rachel tried to explain, then sees Patty's face fall.

"Oh. Are you just stopping by?" Patty asked again, this time Rachel smiled.

"No. We're staying grandma. It's just all of this was a little sudden." She tells her the truth knowing that the old woman had a good instinct on finding out about things.

"Well, why don't you two wash up, and we'll just call you when dinner's ready. You already know the rooms. Brooke can take the one across yours." Ben suggested and Rachel just nodded, feeling a bit tired after such a dramatic afternoon.

Brooke followed the red head immediately after thanking the Ben and Patty again. She watched her friend collapse in bed, looking so relieved. "What are you doing? We haven't found Peyton!" Brooke looks at the red head shooting her a glare.

"She said don't call her until we're not fighting anymore." Rachel replied as she retreated towards the bathroom.

"Well what are you waiting for! And what's up with the name 'Andy'?" Brooke demanded as she followed Rachel inside and rolled her eyes at her.

"You have a phone don't you?" Rachel replied as she told the brunette to go out. She closed the door with a smile on her face, while Brooke retreated as she shook her head and began dialing Peyton's number.

"Hello?" She finally picked up.

"Haley!" Lucas greeted, very much relieved to hear his best friend's voice. "Where are you?" He asks.

"We're at the airport. Our flight doesn't leave for two more hours." She tells him, and he's thankful with what he's heard.

"Thank God. I got the same ticket. Tell Nathan I'm sorry and I'm on my way there." He shut his phone off not even letting Haley say goodbye. After his head and his heart debated, he had finally booked himself a ticket. He realized, Nathan and Haley were right. Dan may not have been the best father to him, but he's still his father.

He grabbed his luggage and got into his car. Hopefully he makes it there in time. After all, only his friends can keep him grounded.

* * *

So? I know it's kind of far from the story line. But I needed this chapter to make you guys understand how important their friends are to them. I would understand if you hate me coz clearly, there had not been much Brucas here. Anyway, I still would love to know what you think. Whether you hate it or not, it doesn't matter. I always love hearing from you guys. Brooke & Rachel's fight isn't really supposed to be on the heavy side. :D Just in case you noticed. :)

A _special_ shout to:

Allie (othfan326) - who I think was the first one to PM me asking when I'm actually going to update this story. Seriously, you gave me a boost! I'm so sorry I wasn't able to get back to you via PM, also, I wanted to apologize for not checking your review first, regarding the suggestion you made before I asked you about it.

KatieLou (BrOoKe DaViS23) – who gave me a link about Brucas (which until now I haven't seen, coz of plain stupidity) Anyway, I really, really appreciate the support.

psiek – I know right? They just had to do that to Brooke. Thanks for encouraging me! I hope you're not too tired of waiting for this.

ILoveYouTooPrettyGirl – I didn't read much into the line you cited last time, but you gave me quite an idea. I too am floored by how long your review was! Really, I had this big smile on my face the whole time I was reading it. I hope you still read even though this update had been wayyyy too late.

TeamSophia – Hey there. So the checking out part didn't quite happen here. I hope you're not too disappointed by it. Chase (kind of) made an appearance, but not really. Lol. I'm torn apart if I should put him on the next chapter already, but we'll see what works. I hope you're not too tired of waiting for this. Thanks a lot for your review. :)

To everyone who reviewed:

**TeamSophia  
****Squealing Lit. Fan  
****brucas224  
****othfan326****  
PeterClaire  
****fanoudum****  
psiek  
****Brooke6404  
****weasleyisking  
flipflopgal  
LeaCharmedOne  
ILoveYouTooPrettyGirl  
BRUCAS1  
Brooke D.  
B.Nguyen  
BrOoKe DaViS23  
erika x3  
brucas.brachel  
****BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE  
rosseyanna  
my2krazies  
SingingSailor**

Thanks for reading. I hope you still want to find out what happens next chapter. If you ever find grammatical errors (which I'm sure, you will.) feel free to inform me and I'll correct them as soon as I can. That would be all, for now. :) Reviews are loved. :P


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **I reposted this because I corrected some typos. I'm sorry for making you guys think it's an update. I'm working on it. If you've read this, the night Rachel, Peyton and Brooke were talking was a Friday. I wrote Saturday on the first one and it's a mistake on my part. So sorry.

* * *

**Title:** Dinner Turned Engagement

**Chapter 6:** Things Are Bound To Get Complicated

Three hours later, she found herself lounging on the couch at Rachel's room. They had picked Peyton up from a cafe just a few blocks from Patty & Ben's house. She can't believe she's there, two hours away from the bustling city of New York. Then again, it was just like going to Lucas' east Hampton state. Travel takes too much time.

"Ok, are we going to talk about it, or do I have to beat it out of you?" Rachel asked, getting her out of her trance. She first meets Peyton's eyes, offering her a sympathetic smile. The red head had always been straight to the point when it came to these things.

She shook her head, a tight lipped smile crossing her lips. There was no way Rachel would allow her to sleep it through. "I think I'll take the first option." She jokes, and she knows the three of them are good. They have always been able to get past these things.

Peyton smirked, while Rachel rolled her eyes at her silly tone. And so, she began. "I know you don't think I'm trying, but I am. I'm trying so hard." She says, and she believes it's the most truthful thing she's told them in a while.

The red head seems to have believed it, only nodding her head. "Well, you better. I don't want to resort to hitting your head with a hammer just so you'd wake up from the dead." She says as she hit Brooke on the arm slightly. Brooke notices Peyton's lips turn into a smile.

"What are you smiling about, Goldilocks!" She says, and she knows that the blonde is just as happy as she is.

"Nothing. It's just amazing, you know. One moment you two are trying to kill each other, then the next you're rubbing elbows. I mean, I must have the two most insane people with me right now." She shares with enchantment in her voice.

"Well you're worse than us, being friends with both of us at the same time." Rachel remarks which only made Brooke shake her head. "What kind of sane person does that?!" The three of them are back, and they're stronger than ever. Suddenly, a phone rings.

"Okay, way to ruin a moment!" Rachel hollers as she saw that it was Brooke's blackberry.

"It's Lucas." She mouths to the two who exchanged devilish looks, the type Brooke couldn't possibly miss. "Hello?" She answers, not sure as to why the blonde is calling, trying to ignore her friend's faces.

"Hey, I'm sorry for calling so late." He says as he sat beside the cab driver. Thankfully, their flight had been a smooth one and the three of them, him, Nathan and Haley are on their way to their house to drop off their things. "Are you still with Rachel and Peyton?" He asks, hoping she'd say yes.

"Uh, yeah." Her eyes wander towards the two for a second then looks away again. "By the way, I don't think I'll make it to your house tomorrow morning." She tells him, knowing there's just no way she's willing to take a 4 hour drive on an early Saturday morning, when she could still be lounging in bed until the late afternoon.

"Actually, that's the reason I'm calling." He begins, and a crease forms between her eyebrows. "I won't be there this weekend, so I left the key with Millicent." He finishes and she thinks for a second.

"Millie? You went to my office?" She asks, and she hears him say yes, along with an apology for him being not there tomorrow. Curiosity got the best of her, and so she needed to ask. "Uh, why won't you be there again?" She says, then facing her two friends who were busy listening to her words, always raising eyebrows at her, along with their animated faces.

He didn't instantly answer, "Something came up." He says, and Brooke could only think about a meeting or something business related. "I just need to be there as soon as I can." He continues, and she understands, although she wanted to ask what it exactly is, she felt it wasn't her place to do so, and so she just said okay.

"I understand." She says, slightly nodding her head. "Well, call me if you need anything." She offers. She didn't know why she said that, she just felt that she needed to.

"I will. Thanks." He replies and with one last goodbye, he hangs up. As soon as he heard his phone click, Haley started to talk.

"I can't believe you told her that something just came up." She says, not in an irritated tone, but more like in a disappointed one. "Your father could be dying." She finishes and Lucas just huffs.

"It's not her problem. Besides, if I remember correctly, dad's the one who threw us into this…_mess_. I don't think she'll worry herself about him." He says, and before he realizes it, he feels bad about what he had said. That doesn't sound like Brooke at all, at least that's what he thinks.

Haley didn't bother to reply. There's no use arguing. Beside her sat Nathan who looks truly worried. Unlike Lucas, Haley thinks her husband shows more genuine care. The blonde Scott however, looks more resigned to his feelings, like he doesn't want to admit that he cares about his father. _Men and their egos,_ Haley thought.

Less than an hour later, the three of them, though tired from the sudden flight, were on their way to the hospital. Luckily, Nathan still remembered where Deb left the keys whenever she left the house. The streets were empty, just slightly illuminated by the few street lights, but the hospital lobby wasn't. There sat what seems to be like reporters and the minute the three of them arrived cameras began to flash.

"_Mr. Scott, how is your father doing?" _One of the reporters almost shoved his recorder into Nathan's face. Keeping his cool, he decided not to answer.

One of the nurses knew what was happening and had been nice enough to lead them to Dan's room. Apparently, his condition stabilized and he was transferred into a private room, outside of which stood two policemen.

When the two saw the three of them, they need not utter a single word as they were freely allowed to enter the room. As soon as the door opened, more cameras flashed, and suddenly, it was like that day, not so many weeks ago, where reporters wanted to know about their private life.

"Lucas. Nathan." Deb was relieved to see her sons. Beside her sat Karen, who smiled when she saw the three.

"How's Dan?" Haley was the one to ask. She figured, she'd save the two from wounding their egos, as she figures both wanted to know about their father's condition.

"He got better, but they're still running some tests." Deb answers and the two boys just nod. "I'm so glad you're both here." She cries and although Lucas is still slightly mad at her, he couldn't bare the sight of his mother crying without doing anything, and so, he hugged her, and then, Nathan did too.

* * *

She tossed and turned in bed. It seems like sleep is going to be the last thing that'd be visiting her tonight. Kicking off her sheets, she got up from bed, and started walking across the room, then knocking onto one of the doors before letting herself in.

She was surprised to see Peyton and Rachel still up, munching on popcorn and watching some horror movie. Her eyes grew big. She couldn't believe it! How could they not include her on movie night? Friday nights are movie nights, she recalled. "You two are unbelievable!" She says as she watched the two not even take their eyes off at the TV to look at her.

Telling them to scoot over, she too sat on the bed that was big enough for three persons. Realizing that the movie had just ended, she couldn't be more pissed, not that she is, she just liked to project that she is. "I don't believe this!" She huffs as she leaned her back on the headboard.

"Well, time to go to sleep!" Rachel cheerfully said, tilting her head slightly, as if shooing the other two.

"Uh, no! I can't sleep." Brooke says begging to disagree. "In fact, I can't sleep because I can't stop thinking!" She continues, letting out a grunt.

"About what?" Peyton asks, still chewing on her popcorn.

"About…him!" She says, not even bothering to speak his name.

"About him?" Rachel taunts, knowing her friend just refuses to utter the word, but she too can't be sure. Is she talking about Chase, or is she talking about Lucas?

"Chase! About…Chase!" She replies, not in an I-still-love-him-so-I-can't-stop-thinking-about-him' way, but more like just because she's curious about some things.

"Okay, talk." Rachel begins, willing to answer every question that is bugging the brunette. "What about him?" She asks.

Brooke thought, this is the only way she'll know what's happening to her, and it's either she talks about it, or she doesn't, and even if it's not easy, she decides to take the first option. "Earlier, when I saw him, I didn't feel angry, I didn't wait for him to leave because I was angry at him, I was just afraid, because I didn't think I'd see him there of all places." She says, and her two friends listened.

"That's a good thing, right? That you're not angry at him?" Peyton asks, trying to find out what's really bugging the brunette.

"I…I don't know. Then this afternoon, when I found out, you know, about what you said—" She wanted to continue, but Rachel cut her off.

"Oh, that he cheated on you and your father had to pay him off so he doesn't cause trouble?" The red head says and Peyton's eyes grew big, while Brooke just glared at her, but she just waved a hand at them. "Okay, what about it?

Before the brunette continued, Peyton felt she needed to say something first. "For what it's worth, when he threatened to ruin your life, he was drunk." She explains with a nod.

She huffs at first, then finally continues. "Well, at first I couldn't believe it, and then I thought I was going to be angry, but I'm not…I'm not." A laugh escapes her lips, and for a moment, she thought she was losing it.

Rachel looked to Peyton with a confused face, then turned back to the brunette. "Brooke! Seriously, are you on something?" She asks, looking closely to the brunette face.

She rolled her eyes at the red head's action. "I mean, I just thought I'll be mad at him, but now, I think, he can show up, and I wouldn't care…I mean, is that normal?" She couldn't believe herself. Is she really asking about this? She should be glad, she doesn't care about him that way anymore.

"Yes Brooke! That's normal! It's been four years! It won't be normal if you're still mad and bitter." Rachel explained to which Peyton added.

"Yeah, whore here's got a point." And then continued munching what's left of their popcorn. "Besides, your pretty little ass is technically engaged. You shouldn't be crying over some other boy." Peyton jokes as she leans her head on the brunette's shoulder.

"Speaking of which, looks like I'm stuck with both of you for the whole weekend." Brooke replies, not minding to comment about her technically engaged ass.

"What, hot blonde got tired of you and kicked you out?" Rachel asks, arching an eyebrow at the brunette.

"Ha-ha. Funny. No. He said something came up and he needs to be there as soon as possible." She says just waving a hand at the red head, then unconsciously yawned.

"Well, I guess we better sleep this off. We have to drive back to New York tomorrow. Plus, don't think we're not intrigued about 'Andy'" Peyton says towards the red head who just rolled her eyes, as she got on her feet, and started walking towards the door already. Brooke nodded and followed. It seems like she'll be getting sleep after all.

* * *

The day started early for them when Dan's attending physician paid them an early visit. "Mrs. Scott, can I talk to you in private?" He begins, seeing how the room is now more crowded.

Deb looks to the three younger people and shakes her head. "It's okay, they're my sons." She tells him, then introduces the boys to the doctor. "This is Dr. Jekyll, your dad's attending physician." She finishes, and they all shake hands.

"I believe I have bad news for you." He begins, and Karen runs a hand thru Deb's back. Keith has yet to arrive because he needed to stay home with Lily. "The test results came back, and your husband tested positive for HCM."

"Excuse me, what? HCM? What's that?" Lucas interrupted, not really understanding what Dr Jekyll is talking about.

"Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, also known as HCM, is a disease in the muscle of the heart that causes it to thicken. It causes disruptions to the electric functions of the heart, thus causing sudden cardiac arrests, which is what happened to the patient." He explains, and Deb suddenly breaks into tears.

"Well, what's the cure? Does he need an operation?" Nathan asks, catching a glimpse of his still sleeping father. He looked too peaceful. Nathan never thought about seeing him lying on a hospital bed, asleep. Beside him stood Haley, he felt better just having her there.

"His heart suffered from so much stress that his heart tissues had been severely damaged. The best option I can recommend is a heart transplant." Dr. Jekyll explained and Lucas couldn't believe what he's hearing. His father needs a heart transplant.

In between tears, Deb tried to speak. "What if he doesn't have the transplant?...or how about medications? Isn't there something you can recommend?" She asks, trying to calm herself. Dan might not be the best husband, but still, she promised him for better or for worse.

"There are medications that he can take, but it only works when the muscle tissues of the heart aren't as damaged as his. If he doesn't get a transplant, I'm afraid the best he's got is six months." He says, trying to be careful with his words.

"Oh my God." The words escaped Haley's lips. She never thought she'd see the day that she'll actually feel sorry about Dan Scott, much less pity him, or think about being nice to him.

"So what are you trying to say, that he's dying? Is that it?" Lucas asked, his tone rising a little.

"Currently there are about 50 people who are lined up for a transplant, but with the condition your father has, it's possible for him to get bumped into the top part." Dr Jekyll explained, and Lucas refuses to hear it.

Deb's tears fell harder, and Karen is ready to comfort her. That was until Dr. Jekyll spoke again. "I'm afraid I have more news for you." He says, this time focusing on the two brothers. "HCM is one of the most famous causes of sudden death on young athletes, such as yourselves." He says, motioning to the two.

"I don't understand, what are you trying to say?" Deb was the one to ask. Both Lucas and Nathan weren't sure they want to hear what the doctor has to say next.

"HCM is genetic and there's a 50-50 chance that a child gets it if one of his parents has it." He answers then turns to the two young men. "I think it would be best to have yourselves tested, just in case—" He meant to continue but Lucas' booming voice cut him off.

"In case what? In case we have the disease too?!" He says, a lot louder than he should. He ran a hand through his head. This can't be happening.

"There are some medications that can help if it's diagnosed early. I hope you consider it." Dr. Jekyll insisted. "If you don't have any more questions, I'll see you when the patient wakes up." With that, he was gone.

"I'll arrange an appointment so both of you can get tested." Deb says, wiping her tears away. She slightly squeezed Karen's hand, as if asking for support.

"I'm not taking that test." Lucas says, his voice firm. It was his resolve, and with the tone of his voice, there's no way changing it. He left the room, seeming to forget about the mob of reporters that waited outside.

* * *

"I can't believe it's a Saturday morning and I'm not in bed still trying to get some sleep!" Brooke ranted as Rachel and Peyton stood in front of her, both rolling their eyes.

"You better hurry your fat ass because my grandma makes good food, and there won't be any left if you take a second longer." Rachel informs her as Peyton nodded and followed the red head downstairs.

Brooke huffed, blowing her hair out of her face. In less than ten minutes, surely, she was on her way down for breakfast. She was never one to make people wait, well, not unless it's Peyton or Rachel.

"So why are you calling Rachel 'Andy'? For the whole time I've known her, she's only been a Rachel and not an Andy." She heard Peyton joke as she had entered the dining room.

"Oh, here she is. Good morning dear." Patty greets as she tells Brooke to take a seat.

"Good morning Patty, Ben. Sorry, I'm not really a morning person." She says, apologizing for being late for breakfast.

"Oh that's okay honey, I'm just glad we have you girls here for the weekend." Ben replies and Brooke sees Patty nod, along with a wide smile.

"I'm glad to be here." She replies, then looks to Peyton who shared the same feelings. "So, you were talking about Rachel here being Andy? How did that ever happen?" Brooke asked as she too began to eat.

"Seriously, can't you two believe that I can be an Andy? I mean, I'm sweet! I'm caring!" She demanded earning a laugh from her grandparents.

"You see, not even Patty or Ben agrees." Peyton jokes, just earning more laughs.

"Andy's mother first told us that she named our granddaughter Andrea, but she was too far away then. She never took the time to visit us." Patty began, then allowed Ben to continue.

"So we decided on what to call her when we see her and we came up with Andy. When they visited us when she was still younger, we then found out her name's Rachel and not Andrea." Ben says and both Brooke and Peyton couldn't help but laugh.

"So we decided to ask her which name she preferred, and then she said Andy sounds better, and since then it stuck." Patty finishes, turning to her granddaughter.

"I see, so even she doesn't like her name. That's what I thought when I first met her." Brooke shared making the older couple laugh.

"Like your name is any better _Penelope_." Rachel teased sticking her tongue out. Brooke squinted her eye at the mention of her middle name. She never did like it.

"Hey, don't even get started with me, _Elizabeth_." Brooke countered when she saw Peyton laughing. Ben and Patty laughed more at the three girls. Their house hadn't been this lively in years.

"So, what are you planning to do today?" Ben asked as he stood up, setting the dishes on the sink, and then looking over to the three.

They all exchanged glances, not having anything in mind, until Rachel spoke. "Well, we're thinking about going back to the city already, but we really don't have anything to do there, right?" She turns to the two first, confirming if they had any other plans.

"Nope, nothing to do there." Brooke replies with a smile.

"What do you have in mind?" Peyton asked.

"Maybe we can tag along with you? Or maybe we can visit the fortune teller. Isn't there one here?" Rachel looks to Patty, who slightly nods. "That should be fun."

"Well, I don't think ballroom dancing is something you girls would enjoy. Maybe going to Madame Suzie's is better. She's really good at it." Patty says turning to Ben who nods in agreement.

Brooke raised an eyebrow slightly. She was never one to believe in fortune telling anyway. It's all bull to her. Some people are just really good at reading body language. "Madame Suzie's it is!" Rachel exclaimed only making Peyton and Brooke shrug.

They all finished eating, and before they know it, Patty and Ben had given them the directions to Madame Suzie's and the three of them were on their way.

Rachel was the first one to get out of the car and knock on the door, her two friends following her. A lady, with gray hair dressed in a long skirt and her body wrapped with a shawl opened the door. She flashed a smile to them. "What can I do for you beautiful ladies?" She asks her tone soft, and really accommodating.

"Uh, we're looking for Madame Suzie?" Rachel answers, and she sees the old woman break into a bigger smile.

"Oh, you're looking for me. I take it you want me to read my cards?" She says, looking at the three, Rachel returning it with a nod, while Brooke and Peyton weren't so sure about the idea. "Well come on in." She says.

The red head was the first one to walk in, looking behind her, the two have yet to follow. Staring at them knowingly, the blonde and the brunette then too walked in. They were then led to what they assumed to be the kitchen of the house. It hardly seemed like those rooms you see on movies that are dimly lit and has very little space. "Just let me get my cards." Madame Suzie says, and the three girls just smile at her.

When she was gone, Brooke needed to speak. "Are you sure where doing this? I mean, this isn't even true." She says, trying to get them out of it.

"First of all, we're already here, second of all, like you said, it's not true, but don't you think it'll be fun to hear about what the 'future' is supposed to hold?" Rachel explains. She did make a point. Besides, it's not like they have anything better to do.

"She's right. I mean, I don't believe in these tarot readings, no offense Rach, but I think I'd rather go here than go ballroom dancing with your grandparents." Peyton says, and Brooke just sinks into her seat. Before they knew it, Madame Suzie was back into the kitchen.

The three of them sat on stools in front of the kitchen counter, Madame Suzie sitting on the other side, opposite the three of them. "So, who told you about me?" She asks while she shuffled her cards.

"I heard about you from my grandparents, Ben and Patty." Rachel answers enthusiastically, as she leaned in closer to the counter.

"Oh, are you Andy?" Madame Suzie asked, in which Brooke and Peyton couldn't help but smirk while the red head nodded.

"It's actually Rachel, but the nickname kind of stuck, so…yeah." She explained and Madame Suzie nodded.

"I never knew their granddaughter looked so beautiful." She says, and Rachel felt proud, while Brooke rolled her eyes at her. "And you have beautiful friends too." She continues, and this time, Peyton had to nudge the red head a little. "So, who wants to go first?" Madame Suzie eyed the three, then focused to the one on the middle. "Do you want to go first?"

"I…uh, sure." Peyton answers, motioning for Madame Suzie to go ahead. She stifled a nervous laugh. Who knew hearing about tarot card reading could make her nervous, and she says she doesn't believe them. Yeah, right.

She shuffled her cards once more, drawing out 6 cards randomly, laying them down on the counter. She then asked Peyton to open each one of them. Madame Suzie looked at the cards and Peyton did too, not that she understood, but she noticed the names. They were The Lovers, II of Cups, V of Swords, The Fool, The Sun, and The Queen of Pentacles.

"What do they mean?" Peyton asked eagerly, causing Rachel to look over at Brooke, who raised an eyebrow towards her. The blonde couldn't say if Madame Suzie was happy with what she's seeing.

"You see this?" She says, pointing to The Queen of Pentacles. "It's on the first cycle. She could symbolize someone whom you feel safe and secure with. It means you have someone in your life you can trust." She finished. The three were silent, listening intently to the explanation.

"_Figures."_ Rachel thought as she nodded. Peyton was silent, as if trying to figure out who that person is. Madame Suzie smiled at her, then picked up another card.

"The Fool." She begins, and to Peyton, that card doesn't sound anything close to okay. "On the second cycle, it's hard to say if it symbolizes a beginning or an end. This card could also mean that you might take on an adventure. It could be on love, or a business.." Madame Suzie finished and Peyton didn't feel happy at all of what she heard.

"The beginning or end? Of what?" She asks, as questions formed in her head. Madame Suzie just smiled, yet no answer was given until she picked up another card.

"The Sun." She begins once again, confusing Peyton, as to why she hadn't given her an answer. "This card stands for a masculine energy. On the third cycle, it has a positive effect, meaning you'll have stable friendships."

Peyton genuinely smiled. She wanted to say she really didn't believe in these tarot reading stuff, but Madame Suzie must've picked up that the three of them are really close. She squeezed her two friends hands who had been awfully silent.

Madame Suzie then pointed to the card facing Peyton on the left. It read V of swords. "On the left eye this card symbolizes emotions in a relationship. It symbolizes balance. You use your heart, but you use your head too." She then moved to the card opposite it. "The Lovers card negates all the negative effects of the V of swords. See how one is on the left and it's on the right?" Madame Suzie asked pointing to the cards. The three girls find themselves nod. "The Lovers card could mean a higher stage of a relationship. It could mean an engagement, marriage. It could also mean a baby." Madame Suzie finished.

To that Peyton felt her heart skip. It made her feel happy, and hopeful, and yet it scared the hell out of her at the same time. She looked nervously at the two, who clearly don't understand what it feels like to have your possible 'future' told.

"The outcome finally, is The II of cups." Madame Suzie picked the card up. "Much like The Lovers card, it mostly represents the growth of a relationship. This card represents inner peace. This card brings even the most different things together." She finished, and Peyton couldn't feel any happier about what she heard. She heaved a sigh of relief. Thank God there weren't any bad things that she heard, and she says she doesn't believe tarot card reading, yeah, she can tell that to herself.

"Okayyy, I think I'll go next." Rachel volunteered as she told Peyton to exchange seats with her. Madame Suzie nodded and smiled. She then collected the cards and shuffled them once again. She told Rachel to do the same thing Peyton did. Slowly, she drew out her cards all at the same time, from the same bunch.

This kind of surprised Peyton and Brooke, the red head always had a way to pique their minds. Madame Suzie just nodded with a smile. She laid out the cards on the table the same way she did with Peyton, and then ordered the red head to face them up one by one.

"Okay, this one says, Four of Wands?" Rachel says, pointing to the card. "What does it mean?" She asks, awfully interested of the meaning Madame Suzie comes up with.

"The Four of wands is a card that symbolizes personal greatness. The presence of this card indicates it's time to take the reins and make the move towards everything that you desire. It can also indicate that it's a good point to face personal fears head-on, and to speak your mind when dealing with others." Madame Suzie explained.

Peyton found herself smiling, that last one definitely rang true, knowing that it was the exact reason why the three of them are in Kingston now. Truly, Rachel knows how to speak her mind. Rachel couldn't comment on what she said. There's just no way that the woman would know about Brooke and her fighting, right?

"Okaaayy. What about this one? The Ace of Swords?" Rachel pointed again. "Is it related to Peyton's card earlier?" She asks, trying to look Madame Suzie in the eyes, as if wanting to figure out where she's getting all the things that she's saying.

"You see how it's on the right bottom, it means it's on the third cycle. This could indicate that there is deception in your life, and that you need to look closer. Don't be afraid to ask plenty of questions, and to question the truth that's being presented." She says, looking the red head equally straight in the eye.

Now that one really confused the her, deception? Although she says she doesn't believe it, somehow she feels like there's still something that one of her two friends isn't telling her, not something earth shattering, but still, it's something.

"Deception huh?" She says, eyeing the two beside her who just returned clueless faces. "How about this one in the middle? The Wheel of Fortune." Rachel read, and can't help but stifle a laugh. Maybe they got the name of the show from this card.

"The Wheel of Fortune symbolizes the ever-changing cycle of life, wins and losses, ups and downs, unexpected luck, advancements and setbacks, success and failure - the duality of things. The Wheel of Fortune represents our uncovering of life's cycles and patterns, and the realization that nothing is permanent, everything is always in flux." Madame Suzie answered.

Okay, that one bothered her again. The smile that was earlier on her face fell. _Everything is always in flux_, the line rang through her head but she shook it off, trying not to think about it much.

"Okay, how about that?" She says, pointing to a card that read: Page of Wands. It seemed that Madame Suzie had refused to give comments as she read the cards, and went directly to explaining its meaning.

"Your outcome card, the Page of Wands stands for a child or a childlike person that exudes excitement, a lot of energy, a strong sense of self, and adventure. Involvement with this person fosters enthusiasm and a light hearted approach to life. Doors to passion are opening." Madame Suzie says.

This one piqued Rachel's mind, it's something she actually liked to hear. "So, you're about to get a boyfriend?" Peyton teased as she raised an eyebrow at the red head. Rachel didn't reply, as Madame Suzie might take offense if she says she doesn't believe a thing she says, not because that's the case, but at least it's what she's trying to tell herself.

"Well, how about these two?" Rachel asks once again, pointing to the two remaining cards that have yet to be read.

"Ah, The Emperor and The Empress." Madame Suzie smiled, the last time being the time after she told Peyton about her last card. "I've never been able to read them together, much less opposite each other." She says, her voice seemed to be happy, which also made Rachel a bit happy, after all if she's happy about it, it could mean that she's seeing something good, right?

"As a card of good fortune she signifies that you are gentle and caring, as well as patient. You are to be able to wait until the time is right for an action so that you can reap the rewards, hard work pays off and relationships become satisfying. Paired with the Emperor, each of its negative effects are countered. The Emperor on the other hand reminds us that rational thought, willpower, and fearlessness yield recognition and achievement in general. On an emotional level this card symbolizes confirming of established feelings, tightening of links among beings, and self-respect." Madame Suzie finally finished.

Rachel didn't really get all what she had said. Although she hardly believes that she's gentle and caring. Brooke and Peyton however, know better. "Okay, your turn Brooke." Rachel says as she got up from her seat. The brunette rolled her eyes, not really sure about it.

"I'm not really interested about it, no offense." She says, turning to Madame Suzie who just smiled.

"Why, are you afraid we'll find out something you're hiding?" Rachel taunted. The brunette knew it was once again one of her mind games, and she always fell for them. "Plus, she's really good." Rachel adds, and somehow she really means it.

"Okay fine." Brooke finally agrees, and then exchanges seat with the read head. Madame Suzie shuffled her cards and ordered her to get six. One by one she faced them up, and that's when she started reading.

* * *

She had decided to follow him, although she wanted to stay with Nathan, the younger Scott opted for his wife to get his brother. He doesn't think he could get his ass back at the hospital, as he himself is not sure if he wants to take the test.

She went back to the one place which they all considered as a common ground. It seemed that they're able to talk through things when they're there, and hopefully, this time, they will too.

She saw him sitting on one of the bleachers of the Rivercourt, his face covered with both his hands, as if trying to get something to calm himself. Slowly she approached him. He didn't seem to notice until she's already sitting beside him.

"Haley…" His voice drifts off, feeling a little bad that she had to leave Nathan just to go look for him.

"It's okay Lucas, Nathan sent me." She explains, offering him a reassuring smile. "It's okay to be scared you know, he is too. I can tell." She tells him, not minding to look at him in the eye, just staring at the empty court in front of them.

"I just…I just thought I'd get down here, find out that everything's going to be okay, then we go back to New York and fix the mess that I left there." He shares, almost choking.

"I think it's best to take the test. You're life's more important than basketball, you know?" Haley tries to see him at the same wavelength, but it doesn't seem like he'll understand anytime soon.

"I don't know Haley, but right now, taking that test is not an option. I'm sorry." He explains, and she knows there's no use talking to him now, because once he has his resolve, it's hardly changed.

"Just think about it Lucas, there are people who love you and they don't want to lose you. I don't want to lose you." Haley says as she got up from the seat she just occupied. She didn't think it would be such a short conversation. She began to walk away, deciding to leave Lucas for him to think about it, just then he called out to say something more.

"Haley, maybe…maybe if Nathan takes it, I'll consider it." He says, and he knows that it's selfish, but he just felt so alone and he needed to know that he isn't. Haley sadly nodded and left.

He took out his phone and dialled a number he just got familiar with, it's not something he can explain at this point, but over the past few weeks, even though they had been thrown into an unfortunate circumstance, hearing Brooke's voice felt like music to his ears. Waiting for the brunette to pick up, he sighed.

"Hello?" She answers, and he's grateful that she does. Not really knowing his real intention as to why he called, he replied with a lame 'Hi.' "Hey Lucas. What's up? Is something wrong?" She asks. He could hear Peyton and Rachel's laughs from the background.

"Uh, no, nothing's wrong. I just called to check if you have company." He says, suddenly tensed as the brunette might find out about his worries. "Is that Rachel and Peyton I'm hearing?" He asks, trying to stir the conversation into another topic.

"Yeah." Brooke replied with a chuckle. "We're actually not in New York, well, we're two hours away from New York." She tells him, her voice so light that it makes him feel light too.

"Really?" He says, interested about what she had planned for her weekend.

"Yeah. It's a long story." She says, followed by another light hearted chuckle. She sounded so happy that he's thankful he didn't tell her about Dan's condition, much less, about his.

"You sound like you're really having fun." He notices, and even if she doesn't answer, he knows that she is.

"I am." She answers entertainingly. "We actually visited a fortune teller of some sort earlier." She says, but holds back to the details.

"Well, what did she tell you? Any news our engagement is going to end soon?" He jokes, and somehow, he thinks her reply took longer than it should.

"Well you know, all those fortune teller stuff. I'm sure it's not even true." She tells him, not really wanting to dish the details. Now, that really got him intrigued.

"I've never been to a fortune teller before. Maybe I should go to one right now." He says, and his voice seemed more serious compared to its lighter tone earlier.

"Why, do you want to know something about your future?" She asks, failing to notice the change in his tone, maybe because her two friends kept telling her to hang up already.

"Maybe." He says wistfully, followed by a small chuckle. "Looks like Rachel and Peyton don't want you talking to me." He says, and Brooke says it's okay. He could hear the two form the background. _"Brooke get your ass down here!_"

"Now I'm thinking you just want to hang up already." Brooke teases and she knows that's not the case.

"Me?" He says, faking a shock expression. "Of course not." Seemingly forgetting about his present worries, his lips break into a genuine smile. "But, they do sound like they want you there already." He adds.

"I'm sure. They're losing to a bunch of old people in playing twister." She tells him and he lets out an unbelievable laugh.

"You're kidding me, right? You're not making the old ones there play twister, right?" He asks, almost sure that he was kidding. When nothing came, he had to shriek. "Brooke! They might break their bones!"

She laughs at him nervously. "Well, they seem to be really enjoying it, plus, no one's broken a bone yet, so we're still good, and just think, Peyton and Rachel are losing!" She shares and they both laugh.

"Well, have fun there and I'll see you on Monday?" He says and she says yes. As soon as she hung up, the anxious feeling he had earlier came settling back. He took in the view before him. He can't remember the last time he had played there.

Getting up from his seat, he decided to go to Keith's. He had yet to see his uncle. As if wanting to prove something to himself, he sprinted his way there. In less than fifteen minutes, he arrived at Keith's, covered in sweat, trying to catch his breath.

The sun is at its highest, running at that time of day would be stupid. Although the breeze felt cooler, the rays of the sun still burnt his skin. He knocked still trying to catch his hitching breath. "Lucas?" Keith answered the door, letting the blonde in. As soon as he did, the house phone rang. "Ok, just get yourself something to drink, I need to get that." He adds, and with the, his uncle vanished into the living room.

He can hear his words, "_Yes, he's here. Ok, I'll talk to him about it._" He heard. _Great_, he thought. Now his uncle would be up on his ass too. The next thing he knows, Keith is standing in the same room as him.

"I take it you know already?" Lucas says as he downed a glass of water. His uncle nodded, causing him to let out a grunt.

"You have to take that test Luke. _We_ have to." Keith explains, and somehow, his words reach out to Lucas. It must've been because he used the word 'we,' but he's still too stubborn to even consider it right now.

"I don't need to take that test. I'm telling you, I'm fine. There's nothing wrong with me." He says defensively, trying to explain where he's coming from. If there's anything wrong with him, it should've happened a long time ago, right?

"Then take the test, if you say you're fine then you have nothing to lose. Don't wait until you too need a transplant like your father." Keith says, thinking it was a little harsh.

"I sprinted my way down here! Not for one second did I stop, and look at me, I'm perfectly fine." He argues. "I'm not taking that test and its final." He finished, setting the glass on top of the counter producing a loud thud.

All his life he had respected his uncle Keith, and today might be the first time he'll walk out on him. He ignored his calls, and got out of the house. There's only one place left he thought about going, and God knows, it's not the best place to be when you have problems, that and getting drunk in the middle of the day aren't exactly the solution to his current problem.

She came back sooner than he had expected, getting up from his seat, he couldn't help himself and he hugged her. "How did it go?" He asks, as if he had figured out a solution on his own.

"He's not taking it. He's made up his mind, and you know how that is." She explains, and she hears him heave a heavy sigh.

"Mom's already scheduled the exam." He tells her, looking to his sleeping mother. "I'm going to take it." He adds, and even though she too is scared as hell to find out, she knows she's relieved.

"Just know, that whatever happens, you'll have me." She says and then continues. "Always and forever." She mumbles into his chest.

Hearing those words seemed to have taken away any second thoughts that he has left. Kissing her hair, he tells her it's going to be okay. "I'll be fine Hales. I can feel it." A grin crosses his face, bringing reassurance to them both. "Now, I have to go look for my stubborn brother." He adds and he sees her nod.

Pulling out of the hug, she tells him where she left the blonde. "He's still sitting at the Rivercourt when I left him." She says, but he knows more.

"Apparently he went to Keith's and when he tried to talk him into it, he stormed out of the house." He explains to her, and somehow she isn't surprised. They've all seen this version of him before, not too long ago when everything was still so screwed up.

She got worried, and just when he's about to step out, she needed to ask. "Do you want me to come with you?" He turned his back to face her, while shaking his head.

"No. I don't want you to be there when I kick his ass." He jokes and he doesn't see any relief crossing his wife's face. "Don't worry Hales, I'll bring him back." He added, and after she nods, he left.

* * *

The sun is about to set, and the laughter can still be heard. "I can't believe your asses got kicked in twister!" Brooke laughed as the three of them, together with Ben and Patty got back to the house.

"Well if you weren't so biased in spinning the damn arrow, we might not be falling on our knees!" Rachel ranted, not believing her grandmother kicked her ass in the game.

"Seriously, I think I broke my arm!" Peyton says as she tries to stretch it. The two just laughed it off while Ben and Patty too shared their laughs.

As soon as they got in, Ben switched on the television only to be greeted by a sports flash. "In sports." The announcer begins, the laughter of the girls still in the air. "Mayor of Tree Hill, Daniel Scott, is rushed to the hospital earlier yesterday." That's the part Brooke heard, and suddenly, she focused on it.

Everyone did too and listened to the rest of the report. "Source claims he was found passed out in his office, due to a cardiac arrest." The reporter continued. To this a faint 'Oh God.' escaped Patty's lips.

"The Scott brother's immediately flew to Tree Hill, North Carolina to be with their father, along with Nathan Scott is his wife." The reporter added as the TV displayed a video of Lucas, Nathan and Haley arriving at the hospital with less than happy faces on.

"How unfortunate." Patty commented, and then Brooke had to excuse herself as she took out her phone.

"Excuse me," She says as she offered the rest of them a smile, while placing her phone on her ear.

Ben must've noticed her sudden change in attitude, and so he asked Rachel and Peyton what's wrong. "Does Brooke know these people?" He says, turning to the two, Peyton nodded, while Rachel took the responsibility to answer.

"Yeah, Lucas is her fiancée…well, technically." She says awkwardly, then watching her brunette friend in the corner of her eye. In no time, Brooke walked back to them, worry evident in her face. Suddenly, Madame Suzie's card reading rang inside her head.

"He's not picking up. He didn't tell me it was his father. I thought it was just a business meeting or something." She rambled pacing around the living room. All of them before her stood in silence, not really getting why she's behaving that way, Rachel and Peyton especially.

The red head looked at the blonde knowingly, and then spoke. "Then we know where our next destination is, well, I mean, your destination." She says, implying that the brunette go down there.

"You think I should go down there?" She asks, placing a hand on her forehead, then tucking a stray hair behind her ear. She started pacing again.

"Yes, of course dear. I'm sure he needs you." Patty butted in, assuming that the two are romantically involved.

"It's really not like that, but, I, I don't know, maybe it's not a good idea." She replies and Ben and Patty just looked at each other with confused faces on. Peyton and Rachel just chose to stay silent.

"Why not. I'm sure he needs you, he just doesn't want to worry you." Ben explains, knowing how most guys think.

"Okay. We're going to Tree Hill." She finally decided, as if it was a very light thing to do.

"We are?" Peyton asked, not knowing if it was really the best idea, then Rachel nudged her, and she knew she needed to take a hint. "I mean, we're going to Tree Hill!" She says, more enthusiastically this time.

* * *

He's searched everywhere for him. The sun is almost out, and darkness begins to cover the streets. Then it hit him, he must be there. He must be, since he looks like he's going back to his old self. With no more second thoughts, he drove to the place.

Ten minutes later, he had his car parked and along with some other people, made his way inside the Blue Post. It was the one place where Lucas went to when he couldn't handle things anymore. It was the one place where he decided to drown his problems, the one place where he drowns himself.

Looking straight towards the bar, he sees his brother, and by that, he meant sitting on a stool, passed out. "Lucas!" He calls out, avoiding the crowd that walked opposite his direction.

"He didn't want to stop drinking, I told him to stop 15 shots ago. Man, I didn't know Lucas Scott drinks like a fish." The bartender says as he saw Nathan. He ignored his comment and helped his brother up.

"_Dammit Luke. What are you doing to your self."_ He cursed under his breath, as he walked their way out. It was no surprise to him that reporters already lurked inside, taking photos. Hell, he thinks he must've gone blind for a minute.

Nice enough to help him, the bartender form earlier hooked one of Lucas' arm around him and helped Nathan get him into the car. Whether if it was because he really wanted to help or he just wanted to be included in the pictures, he didn't care. He's just thankful.

"Thanks man." He says as cameras continued to flash.

"Whatever. Just make sure he can handle his booze the next time he comes here." He replies and with that, he leaves.

Oh yes, the small town of Tree Hill just got more interesting. With Dan Scott's heart attack, Lucas Scott passed out on a bar, Nathan arriving to get him, and Brooke Davis, along with Rachel Gattina and Peyton Sawyer about to arrive, how could it not be?

* * *

Okay, so I really need you to review! Please, if you're reading this now, go hit that button and tell me what you think! Plus suggestions, if you have any, I'd love to hear them. Thanks to all those who reviewed for the last chapter by the way. I hope I still have some readers left out there. :)


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Heeeeeyyy! This is an update. I know it's been forever since the last one. Here it is. I'm having a hard time moving forward with the story; you might notice this story is moving too slow, but after this, maybe it'll go a lot smoother. Please bear with me.

**Title: Dinner Turned Engagement**

**Chapter 7: Tree Hill And His Father**

Six hours later, the three girls found themselves sitting on a plane, on their way to Tree Hill, North Carolina. It's late and there's no surprise if the three of them were knocked out, but Brooke wasn't. Then again, sleep wasn't something that easily came to her. In her attempt to forget about things earlier, she brought out a copy of VOGUE, one that is yet to be published. The company had sent her a copy and mailed it to Lucas' house, which she only saw after she had gone through the trouble of getting the keys from Millicent, and taking a two hour drive to the house, on the intent of getting some clothes.

She held it in front of her, and there she saw herself. She's in a red dress, smiling brightly at the camera. It went down just a few inches below her knee, the white of her skin contrasting perfectly with the color. It was neither accentuated with beads and sequins, nor was it ruffled. Rather, it was short, straight and simple, yet it could be the most elegant dress you'd ever see. And then she reads the captions, the ones just below her name.

BROOKE DAVIS BARES IT ALL:

Her life, career, and fiancé Lucas Scott.

She scoffed at the words. It was supposed to be her life, career, and singlehood, but that came right out of the window since their 'engagement'. She shook her head, nothing is going the way she had planned them too. She stuffed the magazine back to the side. Reading about the interview wouldn't take her mind off a particular blue eyed blonde. She leaned back at her seat. Two hours seemed longer than she expected.

She closed her eyes, hoping she'd at least stop thinking about him. _Please let me sleep_, she says to herself.

-

They both stared at him as he tossed and turned in bed. Her arms draped across her chest, while him only shaking his head. "That'll be one hell of a hangover tomorrow." Nathan says as he scratches his head.

"I just don't get it. I know it's hard, but he knows he can come to us." Haley contemplated as she then got a blanket and covered Lucas with it.

"I guess it's just different, when you have someone." Nathan replies, as he drapes an arm around Haley's shoulder, still looking at his blonde brother.

"But he has us!" She argues, still not getting as to why the blonde had decided to drown himself in alcohol again.

"It's just different Hales, you know? I mean, I wouldn't know what to do if you're not here." Nathan explains, and finally, she nods because she understands.

"_I'm not going to take that test._" They both hear Lucas grumble, as if he knows they're watching him. They both sighed, tomorrow's going to be a long day, and they still have a lot of convincing to do.

-

A couple more hours later, three ladies found themselves checking in at the hotel in Tree Hill. They still have a few hours left before the sun rises again. Not one of them had the energy to talk about other things. It had been one long day. It's about time they got some rest.

He woke up to a head splitting hangover. The events from last night are still a little too vague for him. He does remember coming to the Blue Post, and then ordering a drink, and then another, and another. Yeah, it really went downhill from there.

He winced in pain when he heard the door to his room open. He squinted his eyes when the curtains were pushed aside, letting the bright rays of the sun in. Still, he felt as if his whole world was spinning.

Squinting his eyes in an attempt to see whom the person is, he let's out a grumble. It's Deb, and she doesn't look very pleased. He sees her approach him, and suddenly, the feeling of anger and somewhat, of defeat goes back to him. He remembers the news the doctor had given them, and he becomes bitter again.

He sees his mother motion towards the side table. There he saw what he assumed as a hangover medicine, which he immediately took. If Deb starts to speak, he wouldn't know what to say. Thankfully, she doesn't ask him anything.

"If you're feeling better, you could come visit your father. He's awake." It was all she said, and then she was gone.

He's left alone to wonder once again. Should he really take the test? Would he be able to handle it if it comes out positive? He really didn't know. He tossed and turned in bed, and when he got his mind set to proving to everyone that nothing's wrong with him, he dragged himself towards the bathroom.

-

Waking up to see his wife by his bedside was one thing he didn't expect. After all the times he had wronged her in the past, he didn't think she'd stick by his side. But she did, and for that, he was thankful. He too was thankful that he decided to change. One day, he just found out that he could die, and that he doesn't want any of his sons ending up like him.

He's awake, but the only person in the room with him is Haley. Deb had left to go to their house. He has yet to see any of his sons. He looks at Haley once again, but she refuses to meet his eyes. Finally, he decides to speak.

"Where's Nathan?" He asks, a little too authoritative. Haley shots her eyes up to look at him. He really hasn't had the soft approach down yet. After all, he had always been a demanding person, always pressing for answers the minute he asked the question.

"He's uh, he's just outside." Haley shook her head waving a hand in the process. Her voice trembled a bit, and Dan doesn't know why. She's usually confident around him.

"You really did good." He began, and he doesn't feel that he's saying the right words; then again, right and Dan Scott never really went well together before. Haley's confused, had Deb told him about his condition and he already wants redemption? "With Nathan I mean, you did good for him." He continues with a slight smile.

Haley feels awkward. She didn't think she'd see the day that Dan Scott would thank her. In an attempt to be polite she shrugs. "Thanks, I guess." She says and offers him a rather sloppy smile. She sees Nathan coming and she feels the need to get up on her feet.

"Hey Nate, your dad's awake." She says as soon as he enters the room. Outside, there were still reporters, but she didn't care, she felt too awkward being in the same room as Dan Scott. "I'll just head out and give you time to talk." She smiles at the two and Nathan nods.

"How are you feeling?" Nathan asks, as he stood in front of Dan's bed. His voice wasn't soft, like he was trying to restrain any kind of emotion. It's like he was talking just for the sake of talking.

"I'm fine now. I'll be out of this place in no time." Dan answers cockily, a smirk crossing his lips. "You know, because of my accident, I realized that life is short."

Nathan wanted to laugh at this. He never imagined those words would come from his father's mouth. It sounded stupid, just listening to it, but he was able to stop himself. "Look dad, you may have realized things after the accident, but that doesn't change the fact that you've done some things in the past that are just really hard to forget, so don't act like we're buddies, because we're not." He says, and he didn't actually think Dan Scott would let him speak.

"In fact, Lucas and I had a hard time to even come here, hell, you should thank Haley for knocking some sense in both of us, because the sad part is, no matter what happens, you're still our father." He continues and he wonders if his mom already told Dan about his condition. He guesses, she already did, because he sure as hell is acting like a dying man already.

"I know I wasn't the best father, but I'll prove to you Nathan, I'll prove to you and Lucas that I've changed." Dan explains. His voice was firm. Nathan wanted to believe him, but he doesn't.

"Too bad you're only realizing that just now." Nathan replies. He didn't know why, but Dan being all caring and loving angers him. Maybe it was the fact that he's said that one too many times before, and he's just had enough of it.

-

"Okay, first of all, you did not make me call my contacts to find out where the hell his address is, just so you could sit in a rental all day!" Rachel ranted as she faced Brooke who sat beside her on the passenger seat.

"What if he doesn't want me here? Or maybe he's not there, maybe he's in the hospital." Brooke replies, still looking to the closed door.

"Well, we'll never find out if you don't get your ass up and ring the door bell!" Peyton butted in from behind. They had been waiting there an hour too long already.

"Wait, someone's coming." Rachel says as the other two followed her gaze. "That's Lucas, right?" She says, and then looks towards Brooke.

He was dressed in a grey hoodie, one Brooke thought she'd never be caught wearing. They could all see him soaking wet. "Wait, is that water, or is he just soaked in sweat?" Peyton wondered as the three of them continued to watch the blonde.

The next thing that happened got Brooke running out from the car to Lucas' side. Lucas had collapsed on the ground. "Oh my God. Lucas!" She called out, rushing towards his side, but he couldn't have heard her, he had his iPod on.

Rachel and Peyton followed shortly after, and Brooke shook Lucas' body in an attempt to wake him up, she even run a hand through his hair. To her surprise and to Rachel and Peyton's as well, Lucas' eyes opened with a very confused look on.

"Brooke?" He asks as he got up from his position, and tried to sit. Brooke immediately backed away, being caught a little off guard.

"You're fine?" Peyton says as soon as he had removed his earphones. A slight nod came from him and Rachel couldn't help but snort, Peyton followed shortly after. Brooke on the other hand has yet to regain composure.

"What are you guys doing here?" He asked, but he focused solely on Brooke, who was about to panic if he asks them to leave after she answers.

"We…we heard from the news. We'll just leave if you don't want us here." She immediately says, and Rachel and Peyton's eyes grew big as the brunette got up on her feet, about to walk away.

"Hey wait." Lucas immediately speaks. He wouldn't say he wants Brooke there, mostly because he just doesn't want her involved in his family problems, that, and because he doesn't want her to know about his possible condition. "Don't leave." He continues. "I mean I appreciate you being here." He adds, and finally, he's on his feet.

"Good, now that we have that settled, why don't you invite us in?" Rachel proposes, as Brooke just offered Lucas an apologetic smile. He happily obliged, there was no way he would've said no anyway.

-

"Hey." He saw his wife sitting on one of the benches just outside the hospital. There were a few paparazzo's but thankfully, they had decided to give the two some privacy, even though their cameras were still clicking away. Haley just gave him a tight-lipped smile. "What's wrong?" He asks, noticing his wife's odd behavior.

"I was just thinking, about Dan." She shares and Nathan gives her an amused look in an attempt to cheer her up.

"Okay, what did my dying father do now?" He asks worriedly.

"Nothing. He was actually nice to me, which is weird." She says, and then pauses for a bit. "I just realized how serious the situation is, you know, and now I understand why Luke did what he did." She continued and Nathan too continues to listen. "I'm just scared, I guess." She finally admits, and he pulls her closer to him.

He knows she's worried about him. "I'll be fine Hales. I've been playing basketball all my life, and not once did I have an attack close to what my dad had. We're going to be fine." He says, and he doesn't know whom he's trying to convince, himself, or Haley. He kissed her head and she hoped he's right.

-

He heard a knock on the door, and a doctor emerges. He guesses he's the one handling his case. "Good day Mr. Scott." The doctor greets him, while Dan only looked at him quizzically. "I believe I haven't introduced myself to you yet, I'm Dr. Jekyll, and I'm currently your attending doctor." He explains and then views the room as if trying to see if there are other people there.

"I'm alone." Dan tells him when he notices Dr. Jekyll surveying the room. Dr. Jekyll nods and began checking his vitals. "How long do I have?" He asks and that quite catches the doctor a little off guard.

"I'm not sure you want to be hearing it from me." Dr. Jekyll hesitates but Dan looks at him seriously.

"I'm your patient; your responsibility is to me, not to my family or to anyone for that matter, I'm sure you know that doctor." He says and Dr. Jekyll nods, and then continues. "You don't need to tell me about my condition, I am aware that I have HCM." He finishes and that surprises the doctor a bit.

"Very well, the best chance you have is a heart transplant, if not; the longest you have is about six months." Dr. Jekyll says and got a slight nod from Dan. It surprises him a bit, because Dan Scott might be the first man who took the news of his possible death too well. Hell, even his family had a violent reaction.

"What are my chances in getting a heart transplant?" He asks, looking at Dr. Jekyll straight in the eye.

"One in fifty." He answers quickly, and Dan couldn't look anymore calmer.

-

He hurried out of the bathroom, digging furiously into his suitcase. What he should be wearing should be the last thing on his mind right now, but it isn't. Having Brooke Davis and her friends waiting for him in the living room does that to him. After not so much thought, he finally got to the three girls who were already busy browsing some of their family albums, laughing a little in the process.

He looks at them, and for a while he forgets about his troubles. That was until they noticed his presence and Brooke approached him. "Hey." She smiles at him. "Sorry, about that…we got a little curious about what you guys looked like when you were kids." She says referring to the album which Peyton and Rachel put back already.

"That's okay." He says, returning her smile. "I guess I should be going." He says, not really knowing if the three would want to go to the hospital with them.

"Right." Brooke says, as she nodded, not sure if she should ask him if he wants her to go with him.

"Actually, Peyton and I decided to head back to the hotel first." Rachel says and Brooke's eyes grow wider at this.

"Okay. I'm actually heading to the hospital right now, so…" His voice trailed off, and then Rachel started speaking again.

"Actually, Brooke told us she wants to visit your dad." She says raising an eyebrow at the brunette whose eyes almost popped out. "Can you take her with you?"

-

Lucas looks over to Brooke who seemed to be squirming and embarrassed. He smiled at the thought. "Sure, yeah…I mean, sure you can come with me." He says, stammering a bit.

Rachel and Peyton had long gone to the hotel, and from a far she could see the hospital building. "So can I ask you a question?" She finally speaks. Their ride had been awfully silent, almost deafening.

"Finally! I wasn't sure if you wanted to talk at all." He teased, and she smiles slightly. "Sure, ask anything."

"Why didn't you tell me?" She says, and suddenly, his driving slows down. He looks at her, and she continues. "You know, about your dad? I would've been here for you in a heartbeat." Her words surprised him. Hell, it surprised her too.

"I guess…I guess I just don't want you to worry. I mean, if not for my dad, you could be living your carefree life, and I'm just not sure if you'll worry yourself about him." He explains, and it's the truth. He finds the urge to confide in her, but something stops him.

"You're right." She focuses her eyes on the road. "If not for your dad, I could be in New York right now, doing God knows what." She laughs a little. "I may not have been there for him, but I'd surely be there for you." She smiles at him. "We're friends, right?"

It hurts him to hear her say those words. Though it was the truth, they're just friends, friends who kissed a couple of times. Yeah, that was it. "Yeah, we're friends." He replies, and he too focuses his eyes on the road.

He finally had the car parked, but before they got out he told her something. "I appreciate it you know, you coming down here, as my _friend_." He says with a forced smile, but she doesn't notice that. "But those reporters…" His voice drifted off as Brooke followed his gaze.

"They'll think I'm here as your fiancée." Brooke concluded, and then a smile crossed her lips. It was the least thing she could do. "That's okay, I'm kind of getting used to playing the part. I think I actually like playing it." She says cheerfully, and even though he thinks she says that only to make him smile, he feels like she really means it.

They got out of the car, and walked towards the hospital hand in hand. The entertainment society has yet another thing to talk about.

-

"Rachel! Brooke is going to kill us!" Peyton hissed as she dragged her suitcase, and loaded it into the trunk of a cab.

"Well, do you have any other plan in mind?" The red head shot her a questioning look, which Peyton just returned with a glare.

"But we said we'd stay with her! She'll go commando on both of us once she gets back to New York!" Peyton argued again, not agreeing with Rachel's idea.

"Well, our plane tickets say otherwise." Rachel replies, then closing the trunk. "Come on, we're running late." She says, getting in the cab. "Plus, she's here for herself too, even though she doesn't know that yet." She adds.

"Well have you informed her that you just checked her out of a hotel and she has no place to stay?" Peyton spats. Sometimes, she really didn't get Rachel's crazy ideas, although most of them work out in the end.

"No. When she finds out, then I'll tell her." She says, smirking to herself.

"Rachel!"

-

The moment they entered the hospital, another click fest ensued, that was until they got into Dan's room. To their surprise, Dan was already dressed in his usual clothes. Lucas notices a smile cross his father's face when he sees Brooke is with him.

"It's so nice of you to see me Ms. Davis." Dan says, and this causes Lucas to almost want to punch him in the face. Luckily, he had stopped himself.

Brooke didn't know how to reply. Just how exactly do you reply to something like that? But instead of being bitchy, she opted to be polite. "I'm glad you're fine now, Mr. Scott." She says, and then she greets Haley, Nathan and Deb who were in the room too.

"It's nice to see you son." Dan speaks again, this time looking at the blonde Scott. Lucas doesn't know what it is about his father that just makes him so angry. He doesn't bother to reply. Instead, he greets Nathan, Haley and his mom.

The door opens one more time, this time, it's Dr. Jekyll. "I see there's an addition to the group." He tried to joke, obviously referring to Brooke which made her feel uneasy. "I'm just here to tell you I have scheduled the tests and Nathan and Lucas can take them now."

The room was silent, and Brooke was curious to death what they are going to be tested for. Uneasy as she is already, she tried to excuse herself from the conversation; knowing only family members should hear it.

"I'll just wait outside, if you don't mind." She says, waving a hand in front of them all. Lucas couldn't be more relieved, he doesn't want her finding out anything.

"Actually, I'll go with you." Haley adds, eyeing Nathan who just nods. Brooke appreciates her gesture with a smile and then the two girls were out.

"Like I said, the schedules had been prepared and the two of you can take them now." Dr. Jekyll repeated once more.

"I see. My sons will have themselves tested now." Dan replies, eyeing both Lucas and Nathan as if it was his call.

"Actually dad, you don't get to call the shots here." He speaks up, and Nathan almost cuts him off, but he speaks again. "Like I said, I'm not taking that test."

"HCM is a very serious disease Mr. Scott; I strongly suggest you have yourself tested." Dr. Jekyll spoke one more time, seeing how Deb couldn't speak a word due to anxiety.

"Go on and take the test Nathan, your mother and I would like to have a word with your brother first." Dan says and even though he doesn't want to leave Lucas with them, he's willing to, if it meant getting him to take the test.

"I'll see you guys later." He says, but before he left, Deb just needed to hug him, and it felt good.

As soon as Dr. Jekyll and Nathan were out, Lucas braced himself for a mouthful from his father. "This is not for discussion Lucas, you are going to take that test whether you like it or not."

He spoke through his gritted teeth. Even though he went there for his father, it doesn't take out the fact that he's still angry at him. "You're right dad, this isn't for discussion, coz whether you like it or not, I'm not taking that test." He stormed out of the room before he does something he'll regret.

She'd seen him storm out of the room, and at first she was hesitant to follow him, mostly because she thinks it's not her place, but thankfully, Haley had requested for her to do so, and she was more than willing to.

-

She sees him from a far, sitting inside his car, hitting the wheel madly. Honestly, she has no clue whatsoever of what happened in the room, all she knows is that she wants to be there for him. Slowly, she approaches his car, and eventually, taps on his window.

He's embarrassed to let her see him in his current state, but he forces an apologetic smile anyway. "Do you mind if I sit with you?" She asks a small smile on her face. He nods, and opens the passenger door for her.

"I'm sorry." He begins, and her eyebrows furrow. "You came here for my dad, and I'm sure it ruined your schedule, only to see how screwed up my family is." He explains letting out a heavy sigh.

It surprises him because he though she'd be disappointed, and yet, she was smiling at him. "It's okay, like I said, we're friends."

"It's just that, he makes it so easy for me to hate him, you know?" He explains, and somehow she understands.

"I'd probably say the same thing if I'm so angry at my dad, but you know, sometimes, we don't know half of the things that they do for us." She shares, remembering what Rachel and Peyton had told her about her dad.

The talk was interrupted when Lucas' phone started ringing. When he checked to see who it was, it read: Rachel Gattina. "It's Rachel." He mouthed towards Brooke and suddenly, the brunette's face turns into confusion.

"Hello?" He finally answers as the brunette looks at him quizzically.

"Lucas, is Brooke with you right now?" She asks and Lucas could hear boarding flight calls.

"Yeah, she is." He answers carefully, looking at Brooke who seems to want to snag his phone from his hands.

"Okay, don't tell her it's me calling." Lucas wanted to laugh; it's a little late for that now. "I need you to pick her things up at the hotel. We're leaving her with you for a while." Before he could even manage a reply, the line went dead.

"Why is Rachel calling you?" Brooke immediately asked the moment the blonde ended the call. He started the car, confused as hell to what he'll do.

"It's weird actually, which hotel are you guys staying in again?" He asks, and Brooke replies. He starts to drive and then begins to tell the brunette what the red head had told him.

"You're kidding me right? They didn't just leave me here!" She shrieked, and almost panicked. But when she found out Lucas was dead serious, she angrily snaps her phone out, dialing the red heads number furiously.

"_Hi you've reached Rachel, I can't answer your call right now, so, leave a message."_ Rachel's voicemail said and Brooke angrily shuts her phone off.

"I can't believe they did this to me!" She rants and Lucas can't help but stifle a laugh. "This is so not funny Lucas! They checked me out of the hotel!"

"It's a little funny." He replies and then looks at her with sympathy. "Your friends have the weirdest ideas." He adds.

"We barely got that reservation! I'd be lucky to share a room with a guest! I swear I'm going to kill both of them when I get back to New York."' She says, and Lucas could only see she was dead serious about it.

"I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you stay with us, we have plenty of room." Lucas offered and suddenly it struck Brooke.

That sneaky Gattina, this is what she's planning to do. "Just because the fortune teller said so, doesn't mean it has to happen." She muttered onto herself. Luckily, Lucas didn't hear.

"No." It was her first answer, but after realizing she doesn't know the place, and that sleeping on the streets is a very bad idea, she had to continue. "I mean, are you sure? Your parents might not approve."

"What am I, in high school? Besides, aren't you my fiancé? Nothing wrong about my fiancé staying at our house, is there?" He concludes and she couldn't argue with him more.

"I promise to help out, and I'll be out first thing tomorrow." She says thinking about she'll get back to Rachel and Peyton.

"Brooke, don't be ridiculous. I know you travel a lot, but I'd really appreciate it if we go back to New York together." He says, and he doesn't meet her eyes, mostly because he worries she might see thru him, and he's not sure he wants her to know just yet.

"What really happened back there anyway?" She asks, and she surprises herself, because just minutes ago, she told herself she won't ask him anything if he doesn't talks about it first.

It takes him a little longer to answer, but he does. "It's really nothing to worry about. My dad just wants Nathan and me to stay for a couple more days, and well, you know how I feel about that." He feels bad, but he just doesn't want her to worry.

"Oh." It was her only reaction. Somehow, she thinks he's not telling her the truth. They arrive at the hotel and in no time, they manage to get to Brooke's things, which Lucas thinks is a lot more than what she should've just brought.

A magazine drops and Lucas picks it up. He sees Brooke on the cover, and if he could say so himself, the brunette looked like a goddess in red. "Wow, nice cover." He muses, loud enough for the brunette to hear.

She sees him with the magazine and panics a little. She hadn't told him about the interview, so before he asks, she beats him to it and tells him about it. "There's actually an interview of me there. They asked me about you, so, I had to make some things…up…if you know what I mean."

He shakes his head. He can remember when the interview was. He's even introduced to the ones who did it. It was his first time in Brooke's office. Yeah, that was an interesting day for him. "Good things I hope?" He asks and she just nods.

"You can read it if you want." She says, forgetting how truthful she had been when the reporters had asked her about herself. Then again, it wasn't something she's ashamed of; rather, it was something she's proud of.

They loaded Brooke's things in the trunk and got into the car again. "So I'm guessing by the time we get to the house, everyone's going to be there, just a heads up." He says and she just nods. This could turn out to be an interesting day.

"Actually, could we get something to eat, I'm starved." She says and smiles meekly at him. He returned it with a wide grin and nods.

"I know a place." He replies and starts to drive.

This is shorter compared to the other chapters. I really don't want to put everything in it already. So, yeah. I'm so sorry for updating so late. Anyways, I hope you guys keep reading, and feel free to leave some reviews. :)

Should they stay in Tree Hill? Or should they head back to New York already?

**othfan326** – I know, I said Tuesday, but you have me all motivated, and well, here it is. I really, really appreciate the support. I haven't revealed if Lucas has HCM though. He's still being stubborn. Lol.

**theduckone** – I hope you're not too tired of waiting. I'm really glad that you like DTE so much. :) I'm looking forward to what you have to say. Lucas was definitely sober when he was with Brooke in this chapter. I have yet to get to the 'confide' part.

**PeterClaire** – I'm glad you like their friendship. For Lucas though, he's yet to take the test.

**Amalisa**– Hey. I'm so glad you like DTE. Lol. Anyway, as for the next update, it might be for a while again. I'm a little slow. I know. 

**flipflopgal**- Thanks! Thanks! Thanks! 

**oth234234** – I hope you weren't too bored with the wait. Thanks for reviewing.

**rosseyanna** – I'm glad that you're still interested in this. I'm so sorry for making you wait so long.

**psiek **- Yeah. I love how their relationship works too. One moment their fighting, the next their hugging each other. Brooke did tell Lucas she'd be there in a heartbeat. :)

**Brucas True Love **– I have yet to tell you what Brooke's fortune is about, but we'll get to that. Thanks for reviewing.

**PrettyGirl101** – I'm glad you gave this story a chance. Hehe. Lucas has yet to know if he has HCM, llike I said, he's still being subborn. But maybe Brooke could knock some sense into him…maybe…

**Brucasforever09 **– I'm so sorry for getting you confused. I've already placed marks so I hope I made things easier for you. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

**LuluMcPhee **– I'm glad that I got you to read fics of this kind. It means a lot.

**ILoveYouTooPrettyGirl** – So, I hope you're not too disappointed. I'm looking forward to what you have to say.

To everyone who read this, thank you!!


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